Biden’s Border Wall & The Threat to Friendship Park

James talks with Robert Vivar of friends of friendship park about immigration,  the border, and the threats to the last place people separated by it can meet each other.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to It could happen here a podcast
about things that could happen, or, in today's case, are
about to happen. I want to talk to you today
about the Friendship Park, which exists between San Diego and Tijuana.
If you haven't spent time at the border, it's difficult
to understand how, despite getting bigger and uglier every year,

(00:27):
it feels at once omnipresent and non existent. Friendship Park
was always one of the places where the boarder loomed,
but it never quite managed to beat out the tremendous
feelings of goodwill you could experience there on a Saturday morning,
on a piece of sand next to a steel fence
that demarcates the end of the United States. Boarders exist
to control us, not to protect us, and it is

(00:50):
never more apparent than it was at Friendship Park, where
you could watch grandparents meeting grandkids and dreamers checking in
with their parents. A Friendship Park, a half century old
institution that allowed family divided by the border to meet
across the French. The borders certainly didn't make anyone feel safer,
but over time, people who had never set foot on

(01:11):
the two miles of sand and Imperial Beach that many
families walked across weekly to be together, made laws that
would make it even harder for those families to be together.
For decades, the park was the only places mixed immigration
status families could come together. People flew from across the
US to meet relatives who are trying to make the
crossing north to join their friends and loved ones. It

(01:35):
was an emotional place, but most of the time it
was a happy place. You could see kids having parties
on the Mexican side, and sometimes concerts would take place
with the band split between two countries, with playing one
tune on the Tijuana side. The fences covered in murals.
At moments it felt like a small victory over the
pointless cruelty that happens here on a daily basis. The

(01:58):
park itself was opened by pat Nix. At the time,
she said, I hope there won't be a fence here
too long. Since then, the US government has built a
secure fence in the nineteen nineties under Bill Clinton. Then
are supposedly more secure fence following nine eleven. Then it
built the secondary wall. In two thousand nine, gate was

(02:21):
installed to allow people to enter at certain times on
weekends and meet their families separated by just one barrier.
Now they are plans to replace that secondary wall. They're
building a thirty football under the pretense that the current
structures and sound this new wall made it a Trump design,
but built under Biden's instruction, will not have a gate,

(02:43):
and the last place in the country that families could
touch and hell will be gone forever. Customs and Border
Protection blocked access to Friendship Park in February. Have you reigned?
That year Fourth State officials to temporarily closed border Field
State Park, the larger park in which Friendship Path is nestled.

(03:04):
Since then, but a patrol has not opened the gate
that lets people unite briefly with their families. They claim
and influx of migrants has prevented them from having the
staffing required to open the park. But on weekends agents
are posted up right by where the park gate is
anyway in case people try and make the crossing without
permission in order to see the families that many of

(03:24):
them have been separated from for over two years. Throughout
those two years, I've crossed to Tijuana and to report
on the growing number of people come from around the
world from Haiti from Central and South America and Ethiopia
and recently Ukraine, to name but a few countries. Despite
the heartbreaking stories of danger, fear and loss, and separation

(03:47):
from the people they love, they haven't been able to
file asylum claims due to Trump administration's spurious use public
health laws to severely and illegally limit asylum. I don't
have time here to explain the entirety of the Grant
Protection Protocol and Title forty two, and I don't really
want to either, because the justification behind them isn't what's important.

(04:09):
The cruelty they manifest is what's important. Joe Biden, who
came to office promising a kind of approach, has defended
some of these policies in court with his Department of Justice,
and a particular cruelty of Title forty two, which allowed
authorities to expel migrants who arrived at uth Land borders,
has persisted despite Biden's recent change of heart because several

(04:30):
states managed to sue successfully to keep it in place.
In the midst of all this, more and more people
have been separated by the border. Now, the Biden administration
is looking to permanently close the wanted island of hope
that remained on a beach at the end of America. Obviously,
a park with a massive fence doesn't solve a broken

(04:51):
system or make the cruelty any less cruel. But it
was a place for healing and kindness and love and families.
And now that place, too is under threat. I cut
up with Robert Vard friends of Friendship Park, talk about
the park, the threats to it, and what you can
do to help. Robert, would you like to start off
just by introducing yourself and explaining where you fit in

(05:15):
this uh, in the Friendship Park world and in the
world of the border More Germany. Absolutely, my name is
Robert webar In, a part of the friends or Friendship
for leadership group. And you know the reason I'm I'm
so involved with Friendship Park and my friendship part is
so important to me, uh is because I was actually

(05:37):
one of those uh family members uh that at one
point in my life I was deported and the only
way that I was able to see some of my
family UM was through the border wall there at Friendship Park,
in particular my son who is active duty military and

(05:59):
because of the terry status, UM, you know, I was
not able to come across the border, or it was
very difficult for him to secure authorization from his command
uh to be able to cross the border. And therefore
the only type of visits UM that I could have
with my son and my my granddaughters was through that

(06:21):
border wall. So firsthand I understood very well, uh the
importance of allowing on the weekends, UH, at least for
you know, a few hours on the weekend, that opportunity
for families to uh to be able to uh to
meet there at Friendship Park. Yeah. So perhaps we should

(06:43):
explain for people who aren't here in San Diego what
the what Friendship Park is, right, or perhaps what it
was in say before it was shot absolutely uh back
prior to COVID. Ship Park is a by national park

(07:05):
separated by a border will actually by two border walls
on the southwestern tip of the United States bordering Mexico.
It's a border between Imperial Beach and Tijuana Beach. And
the Friendship Park is actually a strip of land inside

(07:27):
Borderfield State Park. UH. And that strip of land is
in between um two border walls border fences if you
if you say so, UM, and that part is considered
to us Friendship Park, which is the area where UH

(07:48):
person's families UH mixed status families from both sides of
the border with meat. But it wasn't only a place
for families to meet. There's also a place for UH
people of good nature of the United States and Mexico
to be able to meet and UH and also extend
their friendship between the two countries and the two communities. UH.

(08:13):
You know, back fifty almost fifty one years ago, this
is the area that then First Lady pat Nixon UM
actually inaugurated as International Friendship Park and actually went as
far as cutting a barbed wire or having the Secret
Service cut the barbed wire there at the park so

(08:36):
she could reach across UH to the Mexico site and
hug the people of Mexico. UH. Because of the the
you know, the sentiment, the feeling of of that friendship
between the two countries, and you know her very famous words,
UH that she wished that there would no longer be
a fancier to separate these two great countries. And of

(09:00):
course we know that fifty one years later, almost fifty
one years later, UH, that has taken an opposite course
of direction, where we now have two border walls. Plans
are to direct to even higher, uglier eight walls to

(09:21):
divide our two great countries. Yeah. So perhaps again, I
think people have a very uh the way that people
see the border when they don't live on the border
is very different to the way we see the border
when we live on the border, right, And I think
part of that is in this understanding of walls and
fences and barriers and the various things which we have

(09:46):
already along the border. Right. So, um, maybe you could
give us a little sort of potted history of the
different Uh. I think you're right there secure fences, right
that were built through the Friendship Park and across the
sort of San Diego Tijuana area. Right. Well. Uh, you
know again, for the longest time, the only fence that
used to separate the two countries was that that strand

(10:10):
of barbed wire. Uh. However, after Operation that Gatekeeper nine eleven, UM,
it was decided to UH to build the sturdier fence,
and then UH in two thousand and eleven, the secondary
fence UH was erected. And at that time, the threat

(10:33):
of the part being closed again because of the advocacy
of friends or Friendship part UM, it was negoti negotiated
with with order patrols UH that the the park would
continue to remain open with a limited access of at

(10:54):
that time persons um at a time on Saturdays and
on they from ten o'clock in the morning to two
o'clock in the afternoon. UH. That second wall was erected
when the federal government um uh claimed eminent domain from

(11:14):
the state of California and acquired that piece of land, UH,
which is UH now considered the enforcement area and to
us is the area that we're better known as friendship
part right, and so um, what's the there's a threat

(11:34):
to the park now? Right, there's a there's a new threat.
And I think people, uh again it might not have
realized that we're continuing to build boarder war border barrier,
border dike. It's sometimes called h depending on which part
of the country you're in. But can you explain how,
despite Joe Biden having signed this executive order saying what

(11:58):
he claims saying not one more my of all, how
are we still having this threat of building a bigger,
uglier wall, right? And you know, I think that's uh,
that's precisely the question, UH, that French or friendship part
pacity that why is it that Uh. If President Biden

(12:18):
has stated that he would not build one more intro
Trump's border wall, all of a sudden now has decided
UH to finish the construction of Trump's border wall. It's
a question that that that we all asked, UH and
a's part of the the petition that we have reached

(12:42):
out to UH Border Patrol as to the inclusion of
the public and in those plans on continuing the replacement
of the that will with thirty foot balled U uh
set Yeah, at that thirty footballer fencing. That's what people

(13:03):
will be familiar with as the Trump wool, right, that
is correct, something that you know, the furnishing that exists
right now. Uh. You know, it's it's there, and I
guess even though we we may not like what it
is and what it represents, um, you know, but it

(13:25):
is there. But now to go even further and further
desecrate our part with two thirty foot bothered style UH
defenses just completely UH obstructs the the aesthetics of the park,
desegreates our part. Yeah and so yeah, with this sort

(13:48):
of further threat to the park cluming you touched on
it earlier, but I'd like to go back to like
what the park means, especially to families who are separated
by the border and concrust to see each other. Oh absolutely,
uh you know, on on uh when the part was
open on on a weekly on a weekend basis. Uh.

(14:10):
You know, we would have families uh you know, for example,
grandmothers that had never met their their grandchildren, you know,
meet their grandchildren for the first time right across that
border wall. You know, mothers that hadn't seen their their
kids in twenty thirty years. Uh. You know, the joy
of you know, of being able to at least see

(14:32):
them across that border wall and just you know, a
couple inches away from them. And even though you know,
nothing could pass through through that barrier. Um, the only
thing that was able to pass through the um the
orifice there on the wall or the fenci, was the
tip of your finger. Which is why uh we kind

(14:54):
of uh uh created what we call the peaky kids,
because that's the only thing that would reach across, and
that's the only way we would be able to hug
and kiss our loved ones on the other side of
the border. UM. Very significant and you know something that
uh that we hope more people would understand is that

(15:19):
you know, by having the part open and families allowed
to be able to visit across that fence, it would
allow people, even though it's not the best scenario, but
at least it would give people. It would give families
the opportunity to remain being a family, to have a
little bit of contract with their loved And something very important.

(15:41):
We keep hearing about reasons for you know, the border
walls and more uh check uh cheg and and security
and so forth, because incursions, Well to this is one
of the reasons why uh, you know, we have more
incurs because people get desperate from losing contact with their

(16:05):
loved ones that they're willing to risk their own life
to be able to reach their loved ones. That's why
you have increase in people trying to swim across the
border wall. That's why you have people reaching out to
fur their points in the desert, trying to reach their
loved ones. That's why you have people climbing uh some

(16:26):
of these thirty foot walls and folly and uh uh
you know, bravely injuring themselves because you get to the
point that your family is everything in your life and
you're willing to risk your life to reach that family
when uh border Uh, when Friendship part was open. Uh,

(16:50):
we had a lot of conversations with a lot of
people that came to the part to visit their families
and speaking to them, Uh, they would tell you that,
you know, being able to see their their families, their
loved ones, and sharing those moments together with very comforting
and bettery energizing and motivated to continue to fight, to

(17:16):
search for a legal opportunity to be being able to
reunite what their love was. Yeah, And I think we
should point out that, like, since since the park has
been closed, it's not just the park being closed which
has created like a hostile environment for people seeking asylum
or seeking to reunite with their families in the United States,
where we've had Migrant Protection Protocol, which is better known

(17:39):
as Remain in Mexico and we've had titled forty two,
sometimes called catch and release, both of which do the
same things that you say, which is increased the amount
of people who cross in high risk areas and increase
the danger to migrants chiefly. And so there's this there's
this perception I think that things change in January one,

(18:01):
but they didn't. I think for most people, certainly people
I've met trying to come to the United States to
be safe, they still can't. And as you say, they
they still can't see their families. And perhaps we should
also mention that, like sometimes we talk about um Friendship
Park being b national, but it's more than that, right, Like,
it's not just people from Mexico who come to meet

(18:26):
their families Friendship Park. It's it's there's people from all
around the world who are unable to come to the
United States but are in Tijuana, right right, absolutely, And
you know it's not just you know, families that gather there. Uh,
it's friendships. It's an opportunity, um for people from any

(18:49):
part of the world to be able to make a connection,
make a friend right across that border, while without actually
I to across the border. Uh if for whatever reason
they may be, they cannot uh come across to to
the Mexico or to the Mexico site. Uh, you know,

(19:13):
the part is all about friendship. That's what why uh,
to first Lady pat Dixon, were so important the decks
and nation of the part in consideration of the great
friendship that existed and has always existed and and you
know what, no matter what happens, uh, that is going

(19:35):
to continue because, uh, in particular San Diego and Defuana,
we really want to be unity. Um. There's a tremendous
population in San Diego that have relatives in Defuana and
vice versa. And it's not only you know, the family,
but commerce. Uh. You know, we're one community and one

(19:58):
way or another of uh people are are gonna stay connected.
Uh always figure out different ways to be able to
to remain connected and have that friendship. UM. And I
think part of uh the reason for that is because uh,

(20:19):
you know a lot of people see that that border
fence and they see a barrier, but we see that
much more than that barrier is the barrier in our
heart and with you know, the people of our community,
that barrier doesn't exist. The only barrier to us is
that that fence, the barrier in our hearts does not

(20:43):
exist because we have respect for each other and we
consider ourselves friends at one community on both sides of
that quarter. Will Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think it's uh yeah,
the border exists a lot more sort of on the ground,
and it does it in the community here. And I
think so many thousands of people a cross every day.

(21:05):
It's really odd to have it presented as this hard,
impenetrable thing. And then it's also just an annoyance and
the reason that we set in our cars for hours
trying to cross north. I wonder if we can talk

(21:26):
a little bit about because there's a Friendship Park, and
then there's the the southern side, right part lamy Stad.
What's the official sort of set up in Mexico with
regards to the park. It's a little different from the US, right,
Uh yeah, well, you know, the big difference on the
Mexico side is like our pastor jump fannas on the

(21:49):
Mexico side with one big party, you know, one one
big uh friendly happy atmosphere, just like when you were
expect to find in any part where families gather on
on the weekend and now you know during summer vacation
even during the week uh you know, bustling uh beach

(22:13):
city with a magnificent friendly part, family oriented uh family
friendly part where where people go to enjoy a a
beautiful part um. Unfortunately, UH our our friends on the

(22:33):
U s side, I cannot enjoy the part as uh
as much as uh our friends on the Mexico side
because of these limitations on the part. Yeah, it's it's
a shame. Like you said, it's very contrasting like the
U S side. It's kind of difficult to get to
and it's only open and set now is it's what
it's not open at all post and we should explain that. Right.

(22:55):
So it was closed in UH for COVID, and then
if I understand right following that it remained close because
board the patrol were understaffed. They claim, right, that is
what we have been told that Friends of Friendship part
originally that it was close because of COVID UH, and

(23:16):
the understanding was that UH, when the COVID situation UH
was over, then that their plan was to reopen Friendship Part. However,
now we're being told that because of a lack of
UH personnel, that they're not able to staff it accordingly

(23:36):
to be able to open it. UH. You know you
touched a little bit earlier on the MPP program. UH.
You know, if there has been increasing incursions into the US,
A lot of it has to do with the asylum
process UH that has been halted for so many years.
For the last couple of years, that forces people in

(24:01):
desperation UH to take their life at risk and try
to gain entry into the US. You know, UH, it's
not that difficult to understand. If if you're living in
a country where crime and violence is widespread and you
have a choice whether you leave your country and travel

(24:24):
three or four thousand miles to reach some kind of safety, UH,
to protect the life of your of your loved ones,
of your family. UH, you know you're you're going to
You're gonna if you risk that, you're gonna you're gonna
risk you know, your life trying to get across it

(24:45):
and protect your family. And if the only way you
can do it is by jumping over that fence or
swimming around that ocean, UH, you know, that's what we've
seen happening. And a lot of that has what to
do with uh the asylum process. UH that is been
shut down and continues to be shut down. UM, people

(25:10):
are gonna continue to try to to to save their
life and their life and their their family. That's why
we're hoping that, UM the asylum process can be reinstated
as an international law requires calls for it. UH, and
UH that would would definitely show a decrease And now

(25:33):
in incursions. Um. Again, you know a lot of these concursions,
uh are people trying to reach safety for themselves in
their in their loved ones. Yeah. And it's been a
very difficult situation in Tijuana for a lot of people,
a lot of people who have arrived since MPP started.
Like for a while people were camping at the at

(25:55):
the at the border crossing, right, but in town like
at head West that cleared. Yeah, it's it's also sort
of forcing the all these shelters and nonprofits in Tijuana
to saddle the burden, which that they do a very
good job with largely. But this you know, where this massive,
richest country on the on Earth, and we just could

(26:17):
have should have shutting the door in a minute and
saying I think you're not welcome, right that that that
is absolutely correct. So I know that you you've been
doing some events at the Friendship Park, right, You've got

(26:39):
a concert coming up? Could you tell us about that? Yes, absolutely,
we have a concert coming up about four our fifty
first anniversary and the headliner for the concert is Uh,
a gentleman known as the the father of Mexican rock
and roll. UH, which begun here is here. I'm saying

(27:01):
here would be begun in Tijuana, Mexico Havevier Battis and uh,
you know what what is really neat is that Javier
Battis was actually the the mentor of Carlos Antana. And
you know we all love the music of Carlos Santana,

(27:21):
incredible performers. Uh. Well he had his start with Javier Baptiz.
Uh at one point here in Tijuana, Mexico. I keep
saying here, I'm in San Diego, uh in Tijuana, Mexico.
And you know, Javier Is is an icon of rock
and roll music, uh and of Tijuana. And you know what, uh,

(27:47):
what I think is really special about this concert uh
is speaking to Javier. Um. You know his ideals are
very much along the ideals of what friendship part is
all about. And you know, friendship puts a smile on
people's face, and that was something that that have your

(28:09):
told point personally, Um, I love to play my music
because my music puts a smile on people's face. And
I like to make people happy. That's great and and
you know that's the whole idea behind friendship part to
make people happy, to have people enjoy a beautiful part,
enjoy their families enjoy the friendship across the border that

(28:32):
we have. Yeah, exactly, And I think it's very sad.
The whole set of cannad is very sad, right, like
the idea that, um, we don't have it. We have
enough money to build a giant steel barrier, but not
enough money to open this place up for you know,
a few hours a week for people to see their
families and enjoy themselves, enjoy that time together. It just

(28:53):
seems almost that pointlessly cruel, I guess, and which I
don't know. Sometimes a lot of the immigran system seems
pointlessly cruel to me. Yes, yes, absolutely. Uh, when you
separate a mother from a child, that is cruel. When
you won't allow a mother and a child to even

(29:14):
be able to gather for a couple hours a week
separate from a barrier, that's very cruel. When you don't
allow people of good nature, of good will to visit
even though it is across a barrier, that is not good. Yeah,

(29:35):
I think it's important that people across the country, like obviously,
like it can be really difficult to care about everything, right,
Like it's it's a pretty difficult time. And with Supreme
Court decisions and then seemingly sort of NonStop mass shootings.
It's a difficult time for everyone, I think, But like, um,
I think it's important that people realize that the border

(29:58):
is where a lot of these us he's get tried
for the first time. Right, these these things which like
if we look at the way that like privacy of
people living on the board has been eroded for a
very long time, and that's happening to other people. Happened, right,
It was a Border patrol drone that was flying over
Minneapolis during the protests. And so if people want to

(30:21):
push back and to show solidarity and support, how can
they support the park and how maybe can they support
the people who are stuck in and Tijuana and want
to cross but are allowed to cross because of of
mp P or Title forty two or restrictive asylum sort
of legislation. Well, you know we're asking people to do it. Well, uh,

(30:45):
you know you're in the southern California area. Um, you know,
Raynard Shine, Uh, we go ahead and June having events
that friendship part on the U S side, like our
Bike Rights, our Native Flora workshops, our Border Church on
on Sundays at one thirty in the afternoon. UM, we

(31:09):
invite people to come and join us. UH, come and
join us on a pike ride, come and join us
on border church and show your your support for the
need uh to continue uh the work that has been
done for so many years that Friendship Park in some
part of our by national families and our by national

(31:32):
community also very important. Contact your your congressman, contact your
your senator, and if you're in California, of course your
your California senators. UH. Assembly persons. UM, we need to
urge them to uh uh to advocate for us before

(31:54):
Homeland Security, UM, before the Secretary of Homeland Security. They
may understand the importance of the Friendship Park offers not
only to the families, but to to our communities. You
can secure a border a lot better to friendship then

(32:14):
through uh you know, border walls that at a given
moment can be breached, uh as we have seen they
have occurred. Um. The strongest security that anybody can ever
have is a good, strong relationship on both sides of

(32:35):
the border. Yeah. I think that's that's that's very well
well said. And so if people want to come to
Friendship Park, can you just explain how they would get
to one of these events and where they have to
go absolutely uh with I would recommend is follow us on.
We have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts Friendship part and

(32:58):
also our website Friendship part dot org where we have
information on all the different events on our border church.
And this way you can join us uh on on
the U. S side or do you want to come
to the Mexico side. Uh is wide open. You can.
You can go directly right to the monument area where

(33:22):
you can enjoy this uh, this great beautiful monument to
commemorate out uh the demarcation of the of the of
the two countries. You know you can. You can enjoy
it either either way. But we we do like uh
and we stress people that come out and join us
on the U. S side UH so that uh uh

(33:44):
you know, we're not forgotten, so that there's a beautiful
piece of land um a borderfield state park known as
Friendship Part uh is not forgotten. And not only that,
you know, uh enjoy the beauty of of of the
part beautiful part their borderfield state part UH adjacent to
Friendship part Um, something that very a few people are

(34:10):
being taken advantage of. Lately, we've had quite a few
more visitors out there, horseback riding, bicyclinge uh, A few
families out uh you know, taking in the ocean. Uh.
But this is a beautiful pub beach that that we
have there on the U S side and welcome, you know,

(34:30):
our our community, We're San Diego to community to come
and enjoy it as well. And you know, as you
come and enjoy it, you support our efforts to demonstrate
the need to keep our part open. Yeah. Yeah, I
think that's a very uh yeah, it's not hard for

(34:50):
people to help, and I hope they will. How long
do we have? Do you think? How long do we
have before they break ground on this new wall? Right?
You're not sure how long we have. We were told
that it was a matter of weeks. Uh does that
mean two weeks, three weeks? It's hard to say, but
we know that it could happen at any at any time.

(35:14):
Uh maybe we've observed several uh crews out there doing
uh uh surveys and such of the area, so we
know that it's uh any moment they should be breaking ground,
and we hope that before that ground breaks that they
will consider our request and uh, you know, uh cow

(35:38):
public uh uh for public support, for public input as
to what the park should look like. Uh, you know,
give that consideration. Uh too, you know, if you're gonna
you're going to replace wallas to make sure that uh

(36:00):
you know, the that gates are a lotted uh so
that these visits can continue, because we understand there's no
provision at this point for any kind of uh of
gate for uh you know, for person access for people
access uh into the area. Uh. That of course tells

(36:23):
you that there's no intention of continuing at one point
to open the park for the visits. Uh. And of
course that's extremely concerning, Yeah, especially for people separated by
the border. Okay, Um, so just to finish up, can
you give us those uh social media's and web addresses
again where people can find you and help sure? Absolutely, Uh.

(36:46):
We're website is www. Friendship part dot org. Um. The Facebook,
you can find us under friendship part. You can also
find information under Order Church. Great. All right, thank you
so much for your time. I really appreciate you taking
the time to talk and it's a busy time for you.

(37:06):
You're very welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to be
here with you today. Thank you. It could happen Here
as a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts
from cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zone media
dot com, or check us out on the I Heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

(37:27):
You can find sources for It could happen here, updated
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for listening.