The Border - Seeking Refuge Thomas E. Franklin

Migrants Entering the U.S. Face Many Obstacles Tijuana - San Diego, CA | March 2019

Go to Photo Gallery

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the crisis at the southern border with Mexico is the greatest threat facing America. And that only a big wall separating the countries can solve the problem. It was his signature campaign promise, and it rallied his supporters. In many ways, it helped him win the election.

So far, his promise to construct a “big beautiful wall” and to have Mexico pay for it has not been fulfilled. It eventually led to a partial shutdown of the federal government for 35 days in December 2018. Although he remains committed to building the barrier, he hasn’t been able to get the money to do it. And Mexico has been steadfast in its refusal to pay for it.

In February 2019, the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S. was the highest total in 12 years, according to statistics by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A total of 76,103 immigrants without the needed documentation to enter the U.S. either presented themselves at ports of entry or were apprehended by CBP between ports of entry along the border and requested asylum. It is also the highest single-month total since Trump was elected. In that same month, he declared a national emergency and ordered billions of military funds be appropriated to build a border wall.

As of December 2019, 93 miles of barriers have been built during the Trump administration, according to the acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan. Ninety of those miles replaced existing structures. The border stretches roughly 2,000 miles in total. The current boundary consists of a series of fences, walls, pillars, checkpoints, and natural barriers. In the southwest between San Diego and Tijuana, where many of these photos were taken in March 2019, the wall is made of solid steel vertical pillars that go deep into the ground and rise about 20-25 feet. The posts are roughly 6-8 inches apart, making it very difficult for even a slightly-built person to squeeze through. There is also a fence fortified with concertina wire creating a double barrier. The fencing continues through the beach area in La Playa and extends about 30yards into the Pacific Ocean. In Texas, the Rio Grande and the rugged mountain terrain serve as natural barriers. In other parts, there’s an assortment of fences, walls, and vehicle impediments. But they do not all connect into one continuous barrier, and there are many areas that have no fencing at all.

But in the spring of 2018, I witnessed a number of migrants sneak through the border wall in Tijuana and elude border patrol and make safely into the U.S.Despite significant patrols and fortifications.

In the U.S., CBP agents patrol the areas along the border vigorously. They utilize a variety of high-tech surveillance and monitoring methods, including tower-mounted and motion-detection cameras, drones, and helicopter patrols. The U.S. side is generally off-limits to the public, and CBP prohibits people from approaching the barriers. On the Mexican side, there is very little if any security on patrol and the public can stride right up to the wall. In Tijuana, there is a coastal esplanade south of the fence called La Playa. It is a beachy hangout for activists, artists, and tourists snapping selfies. It’s also where desperate deportees and migrants tend to gather and gaze through the border fence looking at the U.S. This is where many migrants are seeing the U.S. for the first time. The Mexico side of the wall also has many politically-charged art installations, featuring images, poems, and slogans, most condemning Trump and U.S. immigration policy.

In July 2019, the Supreme Court temporarily approved Trump’s plan to begin using $2.5 billion in Pentagon money for the construction, giving him a victory in his fight for a wall. The court said that they could use the funds while litigation over the matter proceeds. It is estimated that it will cost between $15 and $25 billion. In 2017, the U.S. spent roughly $116 billion on illegal immigration across the country, which is considerably less than the wall construction estimates.

SAN YSIDRO, CA 03/12/2019: The border wall between Tijuana, Mexico on the left, and San Ysidro, CA on the right. The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,933 miles long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 700 of those miles have fencing currently in place.

In July 2019, the Supreme Court gave President Trump a victory in his fight for a wall along the Mexican border by allowing the administration to begin using $2.5 billion in Pentagon money for the construction

In the run-up to his election victory, Mr Trump promised to build a wall along the border's entire 2,000-mile length.He later clarified that it would only cover half of that - with nature, such as mountains and rivers, helping to take care of the rest. But, since Mr Trump entered the White House, although some of the already existing barriers have been replaced, work on extending the current barrier has only just begun

SAN YSIDRO, CA 03/12/2019: A warning sign is posted in International Park in San Ysidro warning that smuggling is a federal offense, as the border wall between Tijuana, Mexico and San Ysidro can be seen in the distance. The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,933 miles long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 700 of those miles have fencing currently in place.

In July 2019, the Supreme Court gave President Trump a victory in his fight for a wall along the Mexican border by allowing the administration to begin using $2.5 billion in Pentagon money for the construction

In the run-up to his election victory, Mr Trump promised to build a wall along the border's entire 2,000-mile length.He later clarified that it would only cover half of that - with nature, such as mountains and rivers, helping to take care of the rest. But, since Mr Trump entered the White House, although some of the already existing barriers have been replaced, work on extending the current barrier has only just begun

TIJUANA, MX 03/09/2019: Lines of traffic seen through barbed wire wait for entry into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico. More than 100,000 people cross the San Diego-Tijuana border every day to go to school or work, to see a doctor or to go shopping, and many industries in San Diego depend on trade with Mexico. Experts say, the recent Trump administration's threats to close the border would greatly impact the regional economy, and some are already seeing an impact from the mere threat of a border closure. It is estimated that the temporary closure at San Ysidro in 2018 led to the loss of millions of dollars on both sides of the border, in what is normally a $4-billion annual exchange between the two cities.

Northbound vehicular wait times can last 3-4 hours at peak hours. Over fifty million people cross the border each year between Tijuana and San Diego, giving the region the busiest land-border crossing in the world.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03-13-2019: A couple carrying a young child walk along the Tijuana-Ensenada Rd. between the city center and La Playa. While they are not identified, this is dangerous roadway is frequently walked by migrants staying near the U.S. border.

TECATE, CA 03/12/2019: Highway 94, between San Diego and Tecate, and an early spring morning, in an area where undocumented immigrants might cross over into the U.S.

The number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border in February 2019 was the highest total in 12 years, according to statistics released by Customs and Border Protection. In the same month President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to build a border wall, 76,103 immigrants without the needed documentation to enter the U.S. either presented themselves at legal ports of entry or were apprehended by Border Patrol between ports of entry. It is also the highest single month total since Trump was elected in November 2016. Crossings hit 66,842 in October 2016, just before Trump's election. However, before 2008, monthly border crossings were consistently over 100,000, and were higher than 200,000 per month in 2000.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03-09-2019: Isabela Murillo, with her sons Jose, 14, and Mateo, 3, of Honduras, sit on the floor of a cafe in Tijuana that offers free food to migrants. Along with her other son Patric, not pictured, they just arrived at the border after traveling for two months in a migrant caravan from Central America. The Border Angels volunteers brought them clean clothes, shoes, and hygiene products then helped them get to the nearby shelter, where they would spend the night before trying to apply for asylum in the U.S.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03-09-2019: Patric Murillo, 12, of Honduras, sits on the floor of a cafe in Tijuana that offers free food to migrants. He just arrived with his mother and two brothers after traveling for two months in a migrant caravan from Honduras. The Border Angels volunteers then brought them clean clothes, hygiene products and directions to the nearby shelter.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03/09/2019: Young boy reads from a book at the migrant shelter Movimiento Juventud 2000. The shelter houses about 150 migrants, mostly families, who sleep in camping tents on a concrete floor, crammed together side by side. The shelter has been housing migrants, mainly Central Americans, since mid-2017. The Border Angels volunteers brought to the shelter clean clothes, under garments, socks, and hygiene products. All the shelters in Tijuana are overcrowded, and undersupplied. Most plan to wait in Tijuana until they are assigned a court date for their asylum petitions plan to put their names on the informal waiting list for U.S. Others will cross the border illegally.

SAN DIEGO, CA 03-11-2019: The San Diego Rapid Response Network uses an old family court building in downtown to temporarily house asylum-seeking families once they are released by immigration authorities on San Diego streets.

SAN DIEGO, CA 03/11/2019: Luis Gonzalez, an attorney who assists asylum seekers near the U.S.-Mexico border, meets with a client from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S. inside an office in the temporary emergency shelter in San Diego. Gonzalez is the "Border Fellow" for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), part of their response to the crisis at the southern U.S. border. He has been working at Jewish Family Services, a HIAS affiliate, since the fall of 2018. He meets daily with clients either in the ICE detention center, temporary shelter, or in his office, and assists migrants navigate the asylum process.
(her name is Jessica Vasquez Ramos)

SAN DIEGO, CA 03/11/2019: A woman (unidentified) from Central America wipes away some tears while speaking with her attorney Luis Gonzalez, a HIAS Border Fellow who took on her case pro-bono. The single mother arrived in Tijuana with a migrant caravan in late February 2019, after a two month journey. She is seeking asylum in the U.S. for herself and children, after they were victims of gang violence and sexual assault at home.
(her name is Jessica Vasquez Ramos)

SAN DIEGO, CA 07/17/2019: Detainees cleanup the grounds outside the Otay Mesa Detention Center (ICE) in San Diego, just north of the Mexico border in Tijuana. Detainees are often given an opportunity to work at the detention center, jobs can range from doing exterior weed landscaping to sanitary duties to kitchen staff duties.

In February 2019, more than 70 detainees signed a letter decrying conditions at the facility, alleging medical neglect, safety issues, and discrimination, according to Freedom for Immigrants. The detainees also claimed that complaints were not being heard at the facility. CoreCivic, the contractor that operates the facility, denied the allegations made about conditions.

Otay Mesa is a 350,000-square-foot detention facility with 1,492 total beds, surrounded by a barbed wire perimeter fence, and looks very much like a low-security prison.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03/12/2019: The Undocumented Cafe is a popular gathering spot on the beach in La Playa for migrants from Honduras and El Salvador en route to the United States.

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03-12-2019: Two migrants cook food on open stove and watch TV in the midday light in a small boarding room in La Playa, near the beach and border wall in Tijuana.

TIJUANA, CA 03/13/2019: A pig drinks from a puddle in the dirt road outside the migrant shelter known as “Little Haiti,” in Tijuana’s Divina Providencia neighborhood.
The shelter hosts over 200 migrants, many are from Hiati.
The shelter is located a difficult area next to a canal that often floods, and carries debris and sewage, making access difficult for vehicles. The pastor who runs the shelter says he plans to expand housing at the shelter.
The shelter, which is run by a Christian church under pastor Gustavo Banda Aceves' leadership, is located next to a canal that carries debris and sewage with fetid odors and often floods and makes access difficult for vehicles. Despite the less than ideal conditions. Banda, who has launched a house-building expansion project, says he has requested the support of municipal authorities to improve the environment for the new community and has launched a house-building expansion project. The shelter hosts over 200 migrants, many are Haitian, and most sleep in tents on a concrete tile floor.

TECATE, CA 03/12/2019: CBP vehicles are parked in high vantage points above the border wall and barbed wire on the U.S. side of the border in Tecate, 40 miles east of San Diego. Tecate is a city split between the U.S. and Mexico of the same name.

TECATE, CA 03/12/2019: Photos of Mexico's most wanted criminals are posted on the U.S. side of the border crossing in Tecate, asking the public for information. Tecate is located 40 miles east of San Diego, and directly adjacent to the Mexican city of the same name.

TECATE, CA 03/12/2019: The city of Tecate, Mexico can be seen beyond the border wall. Tecate is a city split between the U.S. and Mexico of the same name. In June 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced they would begin construction of approximately 15 miles of new border wall in place of dilapidated and outdated designs, including the construction of 30-foot tall steel bollards and technology improvements.

SAN YSIDRO, CA 03/12/2019: A hawk flies past the border wall between Tijuana, Mexico and San Ysidro. The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,933 miles long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 700 of those miles have fencing currently in place.

In July 2019, the Supreme Court gave President Trump a victory in his fight for a wall along the Mexican border by allowing the administration to begin using $2.5 billion in Pentagon money for the construction

In the run-up to his election victory, Mr Trump promised to build a wall along the border's entire 2,000-mile length.He later clarified that it would only cover half of that - with nature, such as mountains and rivers, helping to take care of the rest. But, since Mr Trump entered the White House, although some of the already existing barriers have been replaced, work on extending the current barrier has only just begun

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03/12/2019: The Tijuana side of the border wall in La Playa, Tijuana is a common place for migrants to hang out. The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,933 miles long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 700 of those miles have fencing currently in place. Americans are not permitted to walk up to the border wall on the U.S side, and the area is under constant watch by the Customs and Border Patrol police. (CBP)

TIJUANA, MEXICO 03-12-2019: The border wall, which divides Tijuana on the left, and San Ysidro on the right, is 1,933 miles long, and extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly 700 of those miles have fencing currently in place, as pictured here in Tijuana.

Dozens of Migrants Breach U.S.-Mexico border fence

Tijuana, Mexico

March 2019

While reporting in Tijuana in March 2018, in La Playa, a sunny beach area on the Pacific where the border wall extends a hundred yards out into the ocean, I saw a 22-year-old Honduran man make a daring and dramatic run down the beach carrying his young daughter on his shoulders. Remarkably, I photographed him as he squeezed through the seemingly impenetrable border fence, where a section of the lattice and barbed wire had been pulled back. He then sprinted roughly four miles to Imperial Beach, the southernmost city in California, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were seemingly not watching. A group of 30-40 people gathered on the esplanade and watched as the drama unfolded. Some cheered as they sprinted down the beach.

Shortly after he broke through, I saw at least five other migrants follow behind him. One of them also was carrying a young child. The man’s friend “Jay” stayed behind. Jay later told me through a translator his friend was not captured, remarkably, and said the man running with his child made it safely to the Los Angeles area a day later. The group arrived in a migrant caravan the day before, and that his friend was highly anxious to cross over illegally, saying he didn’t want to spend another night in a shelter because he had a mother and friends waiting for him in the U.S.

Weeks later, I connected with the man carrying his child via Facebook. He and his daughter are currently living with family elsewhere in the U.S.

Locals in Tijuana told me this was NOT a common occurrence. This border area is usually heavily fortified with CBP agents on patrol, with surveillance cameras keeping watch, and concertina wire lining the fence. But the next day a similar drama unfolded at the very same time and location, as another group of migrants breached the border fence. Some of them carried small children in their arms as they ran down the coast towards Imperial Beach. Fallen clothing, sneakers, and children’s toys were left behind in the sand. This time the CBP agents were ready, and eventually arrested 52 people. many were apprehended about 200 yards from the border fence on the U.S. side. CBP said the group included 23 men, between the ages of 18 to 53. There were also 12 women aged 21 to 50 and 17 minors between the ages of 1 and 14 years old.

They were transported to a nearby Border Patrol station for identification and turned over to ICE.