Tijuana.- The Muslim community inaugurated a shelter in Tijuana, Baja California, for refugees from Afghanistan fleeing the Taliban regime and for Muslims around the world seeking to ask humanitarian asylum in the United States and Canada.
It was on Saturday June 11, 2022 when the latina muslin foundation inaugurated the hostel “Assabil”which is located in the north of the city, a few kilometers from the San Ysidro border port.
The construction of the shelter for Muslim refugees began since the Taliban regime took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 and after the announcement by the Mexican government to give refuge mainly to women and girls.
legal crossings
Sonia Tinoco Garciapresident of the foundation, shared with Efe that they currently have 30 people housed, most of them are families who come with childrenwho are provided with medical and psychological care and empowerment classes, in addition to providing them with information on asylum applications and advice to carry out their crossings legally.
“The refugees have arrived here broken, with many problems about what is going to happen to them, what they are going to do, and we tell them to find out about their entry into the United States and to see if they can enter for asylum, in a legal, we ask you not to do it illegally and not to pay a “coyote” (person who crosses people illegally)”, he said.
The activist comments that they have come to the shelter because the word has spread that there is this space in Tijuana to receive them and she is aware that they continue to arrive and more people will arrive from now on, because many are leaving their countries, “especially everything from where the war conflict is and we are giving them support”.
He stressed that after 10 months of building and conditioning the space, with help and financing also from the muslim community of san diegoin the United States, finally opened this Saturday the doors of the shelter, which has kitchen, dining room, rooms and a mosque to perform your prayers.
“It was a long road, but it was worth it; this is very important to me because my religion has taught me to have a little more mercy, especially with people who travel and ask for asylum, so it’s a dream come true that came true thanks to everyone’s help, including people who profess other religions,” he said.
They flee the Taliban regime
One of the refugees currently in the shelter is the young Imran Karimzai, originally from Afghanistan, who left six months ago with his parents and siblings, as well as the family of one of his uncles (eight members in total), then that they received death threats by the Taliban regime.
“My father was part of the army of my country, but when all this happened the Taliban groups wanted to kill my father, we received threats that they would kill the whole family and we first went to the city of Pakistan, where they gave us refuge, from there we went to Istanbul and from there to Mexico City, from where we left for Tijuana and we have been here for six months,” he told Efe.
Imran said he felt “very grateful” because in Tijuana he and his family feel very calm and because they believe that now they can build a new life, in addition to the fact that he and his brothers want to start studying.
His father, Saraj Karimzai, also shared that feeling of gratitude because he said he felt completely safe already being here with his family; “Although I also feel sad for having left everything in my country, for what this new stage represents, but I understand it because of that violent situation, I could not expose my children.”
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“Here my only concern is the safety of my children, although I know that they have it here, I am concerned that they cannot have a school or that we can have the basics, that is what worries me, but that is why we want to go to the United States, to start a new life,” he said.
Sonia Tinoco said at the end of the inauguration ceremony that she wants to leave a legacy for the entire community, that they know that in Mexico and in Tijuana, there is a place for them: “It is very beautiful and very gratifying to see Muslims, because I am Muslim. , Latina and Mexican, and helping another person who is not Latino but who is Muslim is very rewarding and feels very nice.”
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