Mexican city shuts down migrant shelter near US border, blaming 'bad sanitary conditions'

The migrants had been in a shelter where authorities say unsanitary conditions had caused lice infestations and respiratory illnesses

A migrant does a crossword puzzle at the new shelter where he and others were transferred after the sanitary conditions worsened at a previous shelter in Tijuana (AP)

The city of Tijuana has closed down a migrant shelter close to the US border where as many as 6,000 Central American migrants have been staying as they wait for their asylum claims to be processed.

The migrants are now being moved from the sports centre where the shelter had been located to a former concert venue that is much further from the US-Mexico border, officials have said.

The move comes after experts had expressed concerns about the conditions at the sports centre, where mud, lice infestations, and respiratory infections had become commonplace. The facilities were designed to hold about half as many people as had been placed there as the migrants arrived from their long journeys north through Mexico.

The new facility — which is located roughly 10 miles (15 km) from the border — is run by federal authorities. Migrants were told they would not be forced to make the move, but that food and medical services would likely stop in the sports complex.

The moving of the shelter began on Saturday, and came on the first day in office for Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mr Lopez Obrador acted fast on Saturday on a different aspect of the migrant crisis that has seen thousands of individuals flooding into the country flying poverty and violence, signing an agreement with three Central American countries that outlines a development plan to try and stop immigrants from needing to migrate north.

It is hoped the agreement will add jobs to the region and address structural issues that have forced the migrants to flee.

The migrant caravan has led US President Donald Trump to send troops to the border, where at least one instance of violence was recorded when tear gas was shot at migrants who attempted to enter the US forcefully last month.

Mr Trump has also used the migrant caravan as a political talking point, and cited without evidence in the run up to last month’s midterm elections that the caravan included individuals from the Middle East. News reports indicate that the migrants are Central American and fleeing violence and persecution.

No reports have backed up the US president’s claims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report