Ukrainian refugees camp in Mexico City; wait for US govt approval to entry

Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are camping out in Mexico City and waiting for the US government to allow them into the country.

About 500 evacuees were waiting on Tuesday in large tents under a searing sun on a dusty field on the east side of Mexico's sprawling capital. The camp has been open only a week and from 50 to 100 people are arriving every day.

Some refugees have already been to the US border in Tijuana where they were told they would no longer be admitted. Others arrived at airports in Mexico City or Cancun.

The US government announced in late March that it would accept up to 1,00,000 Ukrainian refugees. Hundreds entered Mexico daily as tourists in Mexico City or Cancun and flew to Tijuana to wait for a few days to be admitted to the US at a San Diego border crossing on humanitarian parole.

Giorgi Mikaberidze, 19, arrived in Tijuana on April 25 and found the US border closed. He went from being just yards from the United States to some 600 miles (966 kilometers) away in the Mexico City area. He said he travelled to Mexico alone.

"It's very difficult to wait. We don't know how the programme will work," he said.