Officials open border crossing just for Ukrainian refugees

Photo by: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
Photo by: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

(San Ysidro, CA) -- Customs and Border Protection officials open up a border crossing to process the growing number of Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum.

The pedestrian crossing known as 'Ped-West' has been closed for the past two years due to the pandemic, but now it's how Ukrainian refugees find their way into America. The crossing is still closed to the general public and is only being used for those exempt from the Title 42 health order for humanitarian reasons.

An estimated 35-hundred Ukrainians are currently waiting in Tijuana.

It's unclear how long the previously closed border crossing will remain open and what plans CBP has for the crossing once the influx of Ukrainian refugees has decreased.