The remains of the Berlin Wall are repurposed on the U.S.-Mexico border as additional barriers are implemented by Biden.

In the process of constructing its newest section of border wall, the U.S. government received a response from Mexico, who placed fragments of the Berlin Wall just a short distance away.

The 3-ton pockmarked, gray concrete slab sits between a bullring, a lighthouse and the border wall, which extends into the Pacific Ocean.

“I cannot reword”

For Caballero, like many of Tijuana’s 2 million residents, the U.S. wall is personal and political, a part of the city’s fabric and a fact of life. She considers herself a migrant, having moved from the southern Mexico city of Oaxaca when she was 2 with her mother, who fled “the vicious cycle of poverty, physical abuse and illiteracy.”

The installation opened Aug. 13 at a ceremony with Caballero and Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s former foreign secretary who is now a leading presidential candidate.

Caballero, 41, is married to an Iranian man who became a U.S. citizen and lives in the United States. She and their 9-year-old son used to cross the border between Tijuana and San Diego.

PHOTOS: Berlin Wall relic gets a ‘second life’ on US-Mexico border as Biden adds barriers

Since June, Caballero has lived in a military barracks in Tijuana, saying she acted on credible threats against her brought to her attention by U.S. intelligence officials and a recommendation by Mexico’s federal government. Weeks earlier, her bodyguard survived an assassination attempt.

Caballero stated that she is unaware of the identity of the person who wishes to harm her, but she believes it may be in retaliation for confiscating weapons from dangerous criminals who infest her city. “It is likely that someone is displeased with me,” she expressed from her expansive office in City Hall.

After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, fragments of it were dispersed across the globe. These pieces were collected by individuals and placed in various locations such as hotels, schools, transit stations, and parks. Marcos Cline, a producer of commercials and digital content in Los Angeles, was searching for a place to house his own piece of the wall. Fortunately, he found support from the mayor of Tijuana.

“Why Tijuana?” asked Caballero. “How many families have endured the loss of blood, hard work, and even lives to overcome this barrier? Although the social and political context may differ from the Berlin Wall, it remains a wall in the end. And a wall is always a divisive and destructive force for nations.”

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to stop the construction of the wall, which was a significant initiative undertaken by his predecessor, Donald Trump. However, his administration has proceeded with smaller projects that were already contracted, such as the replacement of a two-layered wall in San Diego. The new wall will be 30 feet tall and will extend 0.6 miles to reach the ocean.

The wall slices through Friendship Park, a cross-border site inaugurated by then-U.S. first lady Pat Nixon in 1971 to symbolize binational ties. For decades, families separated by immigration status met through barbed wire and, later, a chain-link fence. It is a cherished, festive destination for tourists and residents in Mexico.

In 2005, during an arts festival, David Smith Jr., also known as “The Human Cannonball,” demonstrated his passport in Tijuana before entering a barrel and being propelled over the wall. He safely landed on a net located on the beach, with U.S. border agents in close proximity. In 2019, artist Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana adorned the Tijuana-facing side of the wall with paintings depicting adults who had migrated to the U.S. as children without legal authorization and were subsequently deported. Visitors who scanned bar codes using their phones were directed to a website where they could listen to these individuals’ personal stories in their own words.

Cline mentioned that he was denied entry to the White House when attempting to present the Berlin Wall artifact to Trump. He subsequently transported it across the nation in search of an appropriate location. According to him, the piece has now discovered a new purpose at the Tijuana park, where it is displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the border wall that convey opinions on politics and immigration.

Over the past 15 years, the U.S. government has implemented a series of limitations on park entry from San Diego. This state park, which previously permitted cross-border yoga classes, religious gatherings, and music festivals, has seen a gradual reduction in accessibility. Following careful deliberation, the Biden administration has decided to maintain an 18-foot wall for a specific portion of the park, allowing limited access in that area.

Dan Watman of Friends of Friendship Park, which advocates for cross-border park access, said the 60-foot section that will remain at the lower height is only a token gesture. “The park on the Mexican side has become sort of a one-sided party,” he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stated that they expect to replace the deteriorated two-layer barrier by November. They also mentioned that the ongoing construction of the higher barrier will bring significant improvements.

Visitors have highly praised the Berlin Wall installation.

Sandra Flores, aged 55, who was on vacation from the Mexican city of Mazatlan, noticed similarities between the Berlin slab and the wall constructed by the United States.

She mentioned that the division caused by the wall in the United States is not as extreme as it was in Germany, but it still separates nations, lives, social and economic aspects, and everything associated with the country.

Lydia Vanasse, employed in the financial industry in San Diego and residing in Tijuana, expressed that the artifact transported her to her younger years when the Soviet empire collapsed and Germans were granted unrestricted mobility.

“She mentioned that San Diego and Tijuana share a sisterhood, although a wall divides us, we remain connected in numerous ways. It would be more favorable if the wall did not exist.”

It has been uncommon to directly criticize any president or policy in the United States.

I understand the importance of the U.S. enforcing its borders, and I have a positive relationship with U.S. officials, including Ken Salazar, the ambassador to Mexico. Salazar requested that I remove migrants who were camping in hopes of seeking asylum in the U.S. and obstructing access to a U.S. border crossing in 2022. I followed his advice.

The mayor stated that any issues occurring at the border are the shared responsibility of the governing nations.

She expressed our opposition to violence, family separation, and division, emphasizing that the wall symbolizes these negative aspects.

___

This report was contributed to by Eugene Garcia, a video journalist from the Associated Press in Los Angeles.