"It's unprecedented," Licon said on Tuesday afternoon, as workers unloaded long metal bracings from tractor trailers parked in the large empty lot yards from the Rio Grande, which separates the city from El Paso, Texas.
The tents in Ciudad Juarez are part of the Mexican government's plan to ready shelters and reception centers in nine cities across northern Mexico.
Authorities at the site will provide deported Mexicans with food, temporary housing, medical care and assistance in obtaining identity documents, according to a government document outlining the strategy, called "Mexico embraces you."