ANOTHER VIEW: Friend, love and detention at the border
By CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ | ∞
For generations, friends and families from San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, have gathered peacefully in Friendship Park at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Now Border Patrol agents threaten this tradition by questioning and detaining people who visit this special public space. On Aug. 5, I was detained and then arrested while filming there. Later that night, I was released with no charges filed against me.
I was detained for visiting a park where north meets south and the Pacific crashes against the land, a park that I have visited all of my life. I was detained and arrested for bearing witness to the ongoing destruction of that park as a triple fence is installed that will cleave apart the last place where families can still come together and see each other through the wall.
Earlier this month, folks from Tijuana and San Diego came together at the park for an ecumenical gathering. Hundreds of people attended on both sides of the border, including my family. On the Tijuana side, my grandmother sat on a lawn chair flanked by my aunts, uncles and cousins. On the San Diego side, my mother, my sister and I embraced our family. We laughed, we smiled, we sang together and for that moment the 10-foot wall between us disappeared.
After the event ended, we said our goodbyes. I stretched my fingers through the fence and touched my grandmother's fingers, the only parts of our bodies small enough to cross through. It was only at that moment that the wall reappeared with its entire monstrosity.
A California state park that allows these cherished and rare family visits and represents the friendship between the people of the United States and Mexico is now divided by new fences representing fear and isolationism. The construction of at least a second wall cutting through the park seems inevitable. Our border is becoming militarized, and as tensions flare in the region, the increased presence of private guards and Border Patrol agents does little to lessen the already troubled U.S.-Mexico border.
The American Friends Service Committee has been documenting the impact of the border wall construction along the Tijuana River Valley area, just west of the San Ysidro International Port of Entry. The Friends are also tracking incidents of harassment against visitors to the park.
Environmental advocates had their concerns tabled when Congress passed the REAL ID Act, which allows the secretary of Homeland Security to set aside all environmental laws that could impede building the border wall.
On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case presented by environmentalists, who argued that the continued construction of the border wall along the international divide between Mexico and the U.S. violated nearly 40 federal laws and regulations, including the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. A few days later, construction began immediately along an area adjacent to the Tijuana River Estuary, which was declared "a wetland of international importance" by the United Nations Ramsar Convention in 2005.
Nearly 100 years of laws and regulations that protect the environment, cultural landmarks and First Nations rights have been eliminated, creating a state of constitutional limbo for border communities from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Congress should repeal the REAL ID Act's provision that waives laws that protect our shared environment.
We ask our policy makers and public officials to visit Friendship Park, and witness the gash the border inflicts on the environment and the people of the San Diego and Tijuana communities.
Borders cannot obliterate the human spirit or family members' love for each other. Borders can be dehumanizing. All too often, they are deadly.
International borders must honor the respect for human rights and international law, equal protection of citizens and non-citizens, family unity and nondiscriminatory application of laws. And Friendship Park on the U.S.-Mexico border must be allowed to live up to its name.
Desde la herida abierta ---- la frontera. (From the open wound ---- the border.)
Christian Ramirez is a national base-building coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee.
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Thank you wrote on Aug 24, 2008 10:59 AM:Beautifully written- a wall will never stop human beings from their feelings, their heart and their loves.
Jose wrote on Aug 24, 2008 12:30 PM:Maybe if the border wasn't blatantly disregarded by those that don't care about our laws and then abuse our system, these kind of extreme measures would not have to be taken.
We can only give so much for so long and then the well runs dry.
Build the wall and maybe we can recoup some of our giveaways to the freeloaders.
Build it Now wrote on Aug 24, 2008 12:50 PM:Illegal immigration is costing California tax payers billions of dollars annually. Until the elite in Mexico get serious about helping to create their own middle class, illegal immigrants will try to find passage to the United States. I say build the fence and continue ramping up deportation. Deporting the illegals will reunite the families, and building the fence will stem future illegal entry. Then we can take the billions of dollars that we save from not having to support Mexico's impoverished and use it to address any pseudo-environmental concerns.
Edgar wrote on Aug 24, 2008 2:10 PM:Human feelings cannot be an excuse for people to break the law. It is well documented that millions gave crossed over illegaly, when such a large number of people break our laws like that, feelings become secondary and irrelavant.
Thomas wrote on Aug 24, 2008 2:15 PM:"After the event ended, we said our goodbyes. I stretched my fingers through the fence and touched my grandmother's fingers, the only parts of our bodies small enough to cross through. It was only at that moment that the wall reappeared with its entire monstrosity."
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Waa Waaa Waaaaaaa
If only this person would have stayed home with grandma and the rest of the family in Mexico he would not have to make up this sob story to hide his true motives of destroying the sovereignty of the United States.
Not everyone can live in the country of their choice. I would love to live in Switzerland but I don't qualify to live there. You have to have a certain income to live there.
Do you see me calling the Swiss racists and making up stories against them? ...
Lupe wrote on Aug 24, 2008 2:32 PM:He trys to make excuses for breaking the law. Why doesn't he just go visit his grandmother in Mexico or get a day visa for his grandmother to visit? That is what millions do week in and week out. Thank God the fence is finally been built.
Mammacito wrote on Aug 24, 2008 3:55 PM:If the people on the United States side are legal, why can't they just enter mexio and visit with their family's? They should have a passport that allows them to cross the border. Could be most of them are here illegally.
Memo wrote on Aug 24, 2008 8:34 PM:Another pro-illegal alien activist boring us with his drivel--if he misses his family so much, no one is stopping him from joining them in Mexico. Why won't he visit them there??? Hmmmmm?? You decide!
madamepatriot wrote on Aug 24, 2008 8:39 PM:Mr. Ramirez, your story is a pile of bull from start to finish. But you already know that. You want to go visit grandma in Mexico? Just do what everybody else does who has family in another country does. There are things called passports and visas, law abiding citizens all over the world respect them and use them. My husband is an environmental consultant and legal expert on such matters and he laughed at the "environmental" concerns brought up by illegal alien activists regarding the border fence. Build it high, build it strong and respect the sovereignty and laws of each country.
Filty Lies wrote on Aug 25, 2008 1:07 AM:Shame on Christian Ramirez. Bad American if he really is one. Sounds more Mexican to me. Why does he bash his country for securing its borders from the invasion from Mexico?
JimRT wrote on Aug 25, 2008 5:55 AM:To "Jose", "Build it Now", "Edgar", "Thomas", "Lupe", "Mammacito", "Memo", and "madamepatriot" - RIGHT ON! There is nothing left to say you hit on all points.
Scooter wrote on Aug 25, 2008 7:24 AM:What a sad story, Christian. Reminds me that I have a brother that lives in Colorado who I don't get to see often enough. Guess I better plan a trip up there to go see him. Maybe you should plan a trip to Mexico to go see your Grandmother and other family members. It is a lot closer than Colorado, so it will be easier for you than me.
Like all the others before me said (not one supporter for Christian yet), if we weren't being over run by illegals with no respect for this Country, we would not need a fence. Go back to Mexico to visit your family, Christian, and quit your whining. We are fed up with the constant taking from the illegal crowd, and our sympathy for these kinds of articles is all but gone. No sympathy here; you reap what you sow.
Bill wrote on Aug 25, 2008 7:59 AM:I was "detained, for my own safety" once in Escondido. I'm white and my whole family is white. My entire family, as far back as the people I've actually met were born in this country. I was born in Palomar Hospital. If i was "detained, for my own safety", then why was I put in the general population of the Vista jail? Why did I lose the feeling in my right thumb for 6 months, from the handcuffs being put on too tight?
We all have things to whine about, but for those who are breaking laws and whining...TOO BAD!!
I didn't break any laws and none of my family members had either
Brian wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:07 AM:Another startingly false and melodramatic piece of journalism....what, are you trying to sell your bull to Hollywood Christian? I know why you can't visit your relatives in Mexico. You're illegally here and therefore would risk arrest upon your return. ... Kudos to the NC Times for printing more outrageous trash that has NO basis in fact whatsoever.
I am so tired of this wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:40 AM:Immigration tried to be nice and give people here illegally a chance to turn themselves in. They refused and know no one can say ICE is coming down to hard. IRS gives people a chance to come in and pay their penalities why not Illegal Aleins. If you going to do the crime, be prepared to pay including deportation with no chance of returning.
I cant understand wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:48 AM:why Illegals and their supporters can't understand why the Democratic Congress is pushing ICE to start deportaion of criminals? Do they not realize that the American citizens are emailing, phoning and writing their Congressmen, demanding action or having said Congressmen being given the boot? If it is my job to enforce the laws of this land, I am going to keep my cushy job and start deporting.
Pro Illegals wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:50 AM:want to change the law? Try calling your Congressman like 300 million Americans against Illegal Immigration.
NCT should be called wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:52 AM:Norte County Tamale. All you get is reporters wishing they lived South of the Border. Ole!
MaryJ wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:10 AM:The reason we have had to get tough on Mexico is because they refuse to respect our laws, our culture, our language, and our national sovereignty. They also leech off of our public services that are meant for our own children, elderly, veterans and poor people. We are 17 billion dollars in debt, just for this year, and we can't afford to pay for any more "free" services for illegals just so this whiner can touch his grannie. If you want to hug your grannie so much, go back to Mexico where you can hug her all day long. We're sick of the sob stories and we're sick of the violence, crime, corruption and welfare dependency that Mexico is exporting to our state.
for sure wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:13 AM:This paper is so slanted !! They should print it in Spanish..or move it to LA
American woman wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:53 AM:Oh please!!! Spare me the boo-hoo moment, Mr. Ramirez! I've got a flash for you, sir. There are hundreds...no, THOUSANDS of places along the U.S.-Mexican border that are so WIDE-OPEN you can not only touch fingers but set up a picnic and have a family reunion every day of the week (and I swear, some folks are doing just that). What a crock! Such a place, located so strategically at the ocean where supposed sovereign boundaries meet, is NO PLACE for family fun at this particular point in history! Wake up Mr. Ramirez! There is a WAR taking place at the border, fueled by drug and people-trafficking. The border is supposed to separate Mexico from the U.S. As Mexican Nationals continue to unlawfully intrude themselves into our country, I would go out on a limb and suggest that your warm-fuzzy meeting place is NOT A GOOD CHOICE FOR FAMILY-STYLE gatherings. To encourage the touchy-feely theme of your lament only magnifies current hot-button issues between Mexico and the U.S. If folks in Tijuana want to interact with friends and relatives on the other side of the border, INVITE THEM TO VISIT ON THE MEXICAN SIDE. In case you haven't noticed, Christian, the border crossing is just a few miles away. Unless things have changed very recently, folks may drive south into Mexico via many, many lanes dedicated to this purpose. OR, there are taxis lined up at the border, which will be happy to deposit all visitors at the other side of the fence from the nice American beach. Perhaps Mexico could make some improvements to encourage this family-uniting concept. At any rate, until our "differences" are ironed out, it is best for Mexicans to chase their dreams in their own country. They have pretty much destroyed ours.
Should we talk about wrote on Aug 25, 2008 10:42 AM:American lives and loves lost at the hands of illegal aliens? The American children, parents and grandparents who have died at the hands of illegal aliens?
Mad Mama wrote on Aug 25, 2008 10:46 AM:When I can get help supplementing my $590 monthly social security to pay for food and meds, when I can walk down the street at night without fear of being slaughtered by Mexicans, when I can sleep at night without thinking of 9/11 and all the ILLEGALS making into MY country (and offering NO respect - only making demands for FREE everything and looking for ways to destroy my country), then I will feel a little compassionate about Another View's pathetic dribble. These people have TAUGHT me prejudice!!! By they way 'For Sure,' why don't YOU learn English?!
Ray wrote on Aug 25, 2008 11:00 AM:Pure Propaganda.
cant help but wonder wrote on Aug 25, 2008 11:06 AM:A California state park that allows these cherished and rare family visits and represents the friendship between the people of the United States and Mexico is now divided by new fences representing fear and isolationism. I just wonder who is being isolated here? The American citizen or the illegal alien? I don't give a hoot if granny gets to see their grandkids. That was the choice made by the relative of granny to go to America. I understand people want to have a better life for their kids, just like my forefathers did. HOWEVER, they did it legally. They became citizens and fought in wars for this country, not abuse it welfare system. Of course in those day taking a free handout was a unmanly thing to do. Now it seems like it's the only thing people do. Sad that our society has come to this level.
Missing the Mark wrote on Aug 25, 2008 11:32 AM:Anti-immigrant statements on this blog are not focusing on the apparent loss of civil liberties that Mr. Ramirez experienced when he was detained for filming the destruction of a unique place. I recommend that you leave your politics aside, visit the park, understand its richness, and try to comprehend its imminent destruction.
Dan wrote on Aug 25, 2008 11:38 AM:I don't think I have a shovel big enough for this ... article.
A grand misrepresentation of what is really going on at the border!
Nate wrote on Aug 25, 2008 11:40 AM:I agree with everyone, build the fence. Mad Mama you are a racist. You have a fear of being "Slaughtered" by mexicans and what do mexicans have to do with 9/11. Plus it is not anyones fault but yours you have only 590 a month to live on. Maybe you should of prepared for retirement. BUild the fence and secure our borders with military if needed. Obviously it is making some americans a little crazy
If you love your family wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:07 PM:and miss them so much move to Mexico! Problem solved!
As usual wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:25 PM:80 percent against illegal immigration and 20 percent for. Makes you wonder why Congress is pushing ICE for more raids, huh?
Why Nate wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:33 PM:when you can't defend your position on Illegal Aliens you and your type insist on calling anyone who disagrees with your side a racist? Where do you get off labeling people that want their countries laws obeyed as racist? That seems like an ignornant statement to me and millions of Americans. Please don't offend Americans for American law.
To Missing the Mark wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:51 PM:I guess you just don't see the imminent destruction the illegal aliens are doing to this whole country.
And him being detained, how do they know he wasn't making plans to sneak them across the border, the whole touching each other through the fence is cause for further research.
You can thank the illegal border crossers for the destruction of the park and the wall going up, they don't care one iota what kind of destuction they cause..
nate wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:54 PM:you can defend your position on immigration all the time with out being racist. you jusy have to be intellingent.Every post on this board was fine. Mad Mama's was an ignorant prejudice statement.she said so herself using the racism term is a cop out for not being able to comminicate yourself properly.I am all for the same thing. I want our borders stricly enforced,and all illegal deported immediately but blaming others for "your" prejudices is ridiculous. her comments came from jealousy that she is not able to get help or free stuff as well. so she blames a entire race of people. that makes sense???
Nate wrote on Aug 25, 2008 12:58 PM:To why nate
BTW what is my type or my side? I strongly agree with securing our borders and deportation of any illegal persons in this country. NO EXCEPTIONS! So I ask again, what is my type or side?
You have got to be kidding wrote on Aug 25, 2008 1:11 PM:I cannot believe the NC Times printed this garbage. ALl this does is fuel the fire. The sleeping giant has been finally been awaken.
to Mad Mama wrote on Aug 25, 2008 1:16 PM:- understand sarcasm much ? How could I have wrote that without knowing English ? Duh. I meant the article was slated AGAINST us here on OUR SIDE. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions! Read it again dear...for sure.
Christian is so right wrote on Aug 25, 2008 3:31 PM:"International borders must honor the respect for ... international law." Now all he needs to do is get a dictionary and understand what he said.
BC wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:22 PM:Whatever happened to "we hold these truths to be self-evident...unalienable rights endowed by their creator...all men are created equal...pursuit of happiness..." The static caused by the nationalistic isolationists is drowning out the ideas our forefathers fought to defend...that everyone has a right to earn a living...create a home for themselves...live free...
to BC.... wrote on Aug 25, 2008 10:56 PM:your words are empty when you consider the huge amount of people attempting to flow across the border, and once here, bring down the standard of living for those already here as they leach and suckle from the social programs they suddenly feel entitled to ... Take away the insentives, the jobs, the free Federally mandated healthcare by using the hopsital ER's which maynot, under federal law, deny care to anyone. THis country is going bankrupt, and the illegal aliens are just pushing it faster towards the abyss.
Missing the Mark - again wrote on Aug 25, 2008 10:59 PM:Talk to the ranchers who live in the area, and they will tell you the destruction of pristine lands is caused by 1) the Border Patrol and their reckless regard for people who live on the border, 2) politicians in DC who have never been to the borderlands, but are swayed by a misdirected populist patriotism that will ensure them votes, so they make bad policy to quell your fears about the "other." This is a boondoggle beyond your wildest tax dollars. If you care about where your tax dollars go, then get your facts in order and don't let your fears cloud your sensibility.
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