Mark Abramson / The New York Times / Redux By Catherine E. Shoichet and Austin Steele, CNN Updated at 1523 GMT (2323 HKT) on April 14, 2022 Ukrainians are waiting near the US-Mexico border on April 2 for a chance to enter the United States. Mark Abramson / The New York Times / Redux A Mexican border town, thousands of miles from Ukraine, has become a stopping point for many seeking refuge from war. About 1,000 Ukrainians are in Tijuana, Mexico, waiting for the opportunity to cross into the United States, according to Enrique Lucero, the city’s director of immigration affairs. These photos show what life is like for Ukrainians in Tijuana: a shelter run by the city where hundreds of makeshift camps near the border, the volunteers who came to help. The images also reveal a bigger picture: A growing number of Ukrainians are following this path to the United States, Lucero says, because it is the only road they have. It is easy for Europeans, including Ukrainians, to get tourist visas and fly to Mexico, Lucero says. Obtaining a visa to travel to the United States is much more difficult. Although President Biden has said the United States will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, his government has not yet created a path for Ukrainians fleeing the war. That could change soon. Officials told CNN that the administration is preparing to develop a new program for Ukrainians with sponsors in the United States. But for now, crossing the US-Mexico border is the main route for Ukrainians trying to reach the US, says Lucero. And Tijuana, he says, has become a waiting room.