A Segment of a Notorious Wall Resides at the US-Mexico Border

The US government’s construction of the latest stretch of the border wall has sparked a symbolic response from Mexico. As reported by the AP, Mexico has placed the remains of the Berlin Wall just a few steps away from the new border wall. This 3-ton concrete slab, marked with pockmarks and a gray color, now stands between a bullring, a lighthouse, and the border wall that stretches into the Pacific Ocean. Titled “A World Without Walls” and bearing the inscription “May this be a lesson to build a society that knocks down walls and builds bridges,” the relic serves as a reminder of the importance of unity and connection. For Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero, the US wall holds personal and political significance. She herself is a migrant, having moved from southern Mexico at a young age to escape poverty and abuse.

The installation of the Berlin Wall relic took place on August 13, with Mayor Caballero and Marcelo Ebrard, a former Mexican foreign secretary and current presidential candidate, in attendance. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, fragments of the wall have been scattered around the world, finding homes in hotels, schools, transit stations, and parks. Marcos Cline, a producer based in Los Angeles, found a perfect location for his artifact in Tijuana, thanks to Mayor Caballero’s support. Caballero questions why the relic belongs in Tijuana, but also acknowledges the significance of walls and their divisive nature. While the social and political conflict surrounding the US wall differs from that of the Berlin Wall, both walls symbolize division and separation.

President Biden’s executive order on his first day in office put a halt to the construction of the wall, effectively ending former President Trump’s ambitious project. However, some contracted projects are still underway, including the replacement of a two-layered wall in San Diego with a higher version that stretches closer to the ocean. This new section of the wall cuts through Friendship Park, a site that represents the ties between the US and Mexico. Despite the physical barrier, the park remains a beloved destination for tourists and residents on both sides of the border. Cline’s efforts to deliver the Berlin Wall relic to Trump were unsuccessful, leading him to transport it across the country until he found a suitable home in Tijuana. Now, the relic stands in the park alongside vibrant paintings on the border wall, representing its new purpose and life.

Visitors to the Berlin Wall installation in Tijuana have been impressed by the powerful message it conveys. Sandra Flores from Mazatlan notes that while the wall in Tijuana may be less severe than the Berlin Wall, it still symbolizes division in all its forms. Lydia Vanasse, who works in finance in San Diego and lives in Tijuana, reflects on her own experiences when the Berlin Wall fell and the newfound freedom it brought to Germans. She emphasizes the connection between San Diego and Tijuana, calling them sister cities that should not be separated by a wall. Mayor Caballero also shares this sentiment and sees the wall as a representation of violence, family separation, and division, which she is firmly against. She believes that the responsibility for addressing these issues lies with the governing nations.

(Read more US-Mexico border stories.)