-When Joe Biden won the elections,
here at the border, there was a lot of hope
because, in the last years, the Trump administration
basically destroyed the asylum process
and we are hopeful that now we can see
a restoring of the asylum process.
But it's not enough because,
every day that they wait in Mexico,
it's a day that their lives can be in danger.
-It may be a new era in the US,
but, across the border, in Mexico,
change is slow to come.
Kelly Ruiz has been stranded in Tijuana since last February,
with her two teenage children.
She fled Colombia after the military killed her husband
and threatened her life.
When she tried to claim asylum at the border,
US agents forced them back,
as part of a Trump policy known as Remain in Mexico, or MPP.
For over a year, they've shuffled between shelters
and apartments near the border.
-Going back and forth, I can't take it anymore.
I pray to God that the doors will open
because I can't take it anymore.
It's been an unstable year.
I never imagined that I'd be going through this.
I never imagined I would be in this country,
without knowing anybody, for so long, alone,
with my children going through
so many things that only God knows.
It has been very difficult to live through all of this.
I do not want to be here in Mexico.
I'm scared of Mexico.
Mexico is not a place to be with children.
-As the Biden administration now scrambles
to prevent a new crisis at the border,
with thousands of families and minors
now in overcrowded facilities, it has also made new changes,
like rolling back Trump's Remain in Mexico policy.
One by one, thousands like Ruiz
are now entering the United States,
but, meanwhile, new challenges are piling up.
-It was good news for people waiting here,
the elimination of MPP.
However, there has been no information or solution
for thousands of people that don't fit into this category,
or that are not eligible to cross.
-In Tijuana, hundreds of new families have arrived
since Biden took office.
With little more than rumors to go on,
they're holding out hope.
-We are waiting for the opportunity
from President Joe Biden to go to the United States.
-Eugeña García and her family have been living in a tent
on the border since February.
-If we do not get a response soon,
we are thinking of throwing ourselves across,
to see if maybe they will give us asylum on the other side.
We tried to come in legally,
to ask for asylum, and they didn't let us.
So maybe if we jump to the other side, maybe they will.
-Illegal crossings rose 24% in February,
according to Border Patrol.
-There's so much misinformation that some people think
that they don't have the risk of getting deported,
but we have seen that anyone who tries to cross,
they can be sent back to Tijuana, back to Mexico,
or back to their country of origin.
-Historically, anyone can seek refuge from persecution
at a US port of entry, but, during the pandemic,
Trump empowered border agents
to turn away all new asylum seekers,
and Biden has kept that policy in place.
-The only cases that are now
being allowed in the United States
are those who have an MPP-active case.
For all of the others, the communication line has been,
"Stay where you are because COVID-19 restrictions remain."
-We tried to do things right and they didn't let us enter.
They said, "Go back because there is no asylum for you."
-So we do not have any other choice
than to be here with our children and wait for a yes.
-Those who are processed will undergo two COVID tests,
isolation, and receive services from aid groups
on both sides of the border.
-What we're showing with this processing
is that we can process people in a way that's expeditious,
that centers public health,
that keeps them out of detention,
that helps keep their dignity intact,
and, really, welcome them in an amazing way,
and so I think the next step is bringing that to scale.
And there's still a lot of work to be done.
-After 13 months of waiting,
Kelly and her children were allowed to cross into the US,
where they will wait again for their asylum case to be heard.
-We leave our countries, our family, our culture,
and we come here hoping for a better future.
We also come with fear
and we want to get away from all the violence
and everything that happens where we are from.
-It was a very difficult year,
not just because of the pandemic.
2020 was a very difficult year.
We went through very hard emotional times.
Many times I didn't want to continue anymore.
But I believe it was worth it because now we are here.
And to think of everything that we have suffered
and everything that we endured in Mexico.
It's the tranquility to know
that my kids are going to be okay.
That they're going to be in a country
where there are opportunities and protection and, well,
to wait and see what we can achieve here.