By Lizbeth Diaz

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) – While thousands of Haitians were detained, deported or expelled from a camp on Mexico’s frontier with Texas last week, many others traveled west to the border city of Tijuana, hoping to avoid a crackdown aimed at stemming the rising tide of migrants.

People who have arrived in Tijuana from Haiti are able to rely on fellow Haitians, many of whom were there five years ago when another wave of migration occurred. They can avoid detection and pay thousands of dollars.

More than two dozen people who spoke with Reuters said that they have made contact with Haitians, some of whom are in business. This has eased their journey north.

They also said that the network helped some Haitians cross into America since July.

Alexandre Guerby (26) said, “Thank God we made it,” after arriving in Tijuana together with his wife. The couple had traveled a long way from Chile where they lived for four years.

Guerby said, “I feel safer now,” and acknowledged other Haitians’ help in getting to Tijuana.

Mexico worked last week with the United States in clearing an imploding camp of several thousand Haitians, which erupted between Ciudad Acuna (Mexico) and Del Rio (Texas). Many migrants had arrived from Brazil or Chile to seek asylum in the United States.

Guerby’s relatives are among many who arrived in San Diego from Brazil or Chile this month.

The story of Guerby is similar to that of his forefathers fleeing a devastating Haitian earthquake in 2010, and living in extreme poverty in South America. As the Brazilian economy was deteriorating, many fled to the United States and moved in large numbers.

Numerous Haitians chose to move north with children who were born in Chile. This belief would allow them to travel more easily into America. With a waiver of visa requirements, Chilean citizens are allowed to enter the United States up to 90 day.

Many Haitians have settled in Tijuana. Some work in factories or restaurants. Others own cell phones shops and car washes. Other businesses include interior decoration, gardening and plumbing.

Many are cautious about revealing their accomplishments in public, lest they be hounded by immigration authorities or get the attention of organized criminals.

Diverson Pierre (an industrial painter) stated that he came to Tijuana to visit the United States in 2017.

He said, “But when I saw how people treated us here, I decided that I wanted to stay.” My goal was to find employment, which I did.

Reuters spoke with more than 20 Haitians, Mexicans and others in Tijuana. They said that they had been advising Haitian new arrivals on where to live or even offered to let them their rooms.

They communicate with one another in an extraordinary way. Jose Garcia said they pull together in the same direction. He is the shelter’s director, Juventud 2000. They carry their smartphones with them and know the status of the border.

Wilner Metelus (Haitian) is the head of the Citizens Committee in Defense of Naturalized Persons & Afro-Mexicans. He said that previous arrivals showed the new influx of Haitians the best ways to get around official raids.

Guerby, a new arrival, also hopes to travel to the United States. However, he plans to first work in Mexico, to replenish his savings after he spent thousands to get there.

‘EXPENSIVE’

Fearful of being deported home, or sent back to southern Mexico, or even to Guatemala, Haitian migrants said they traveled in small groups to avoid detection.

This meant sometimes getting in private vehicles or taxis to avoid being stopped by authorities.

Astride Petit (25-years-old Haitian) said that everything on the journey was more costly because they didn’t have any papers.

Petit said that migrants sometimes needed to spend up to 500 pesos (25 USD) to travel stretches which would normally cost between 80 and 100 pesos. He stated that the added cost allowed for safe travel.

Even though some Haitians did not possess the required papers, they were still able travel to Mexico just like tourists. Several showed Reuters the early-morning bus tickets that they bought in order to travel north from Poza Rica, an eastern city.

Reuters was told by five heads of five migrant shelters that many of the Haitians who arrived in Tijuana last year were taken to boarding and apartment boarding homes with “coyotes,” or guides.

Local officials claim that it has been difficult to determine how many Haitians live in Tijuana.

Tijuana is the biggest Mexican border city and has long been a main route for migration. Some areas have strong sympathies for Haitian migrants.

They are very hardworking, according to our experiences in Tijuana. Ruben Iturriaga, the local hairdresser said that many of his clients were from Haiti.

We Mexicans are immigrants. They travel to the United States. And that is why we should not close our doors to them.

Video footage broadcast via television and social media shows Mexican officials sometimes using harsh tactics to stop migrants. This prompted strong protests by rights groups, and even criticism from President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador.

Baja California (the state in which Tijuana is) has been a place that grows the most. Luis Algorri the local labor minister said that Haitians are welcomed.

He stated that “we’re open for the migrants to get jobs quickly.” There are 25,000 positions available in the region’s coastal area.

($1 = 20.0490 Mexican dollars)