In the Spring of 2025, I travelled to Tijuana, Mexico with the class MEJO 390 : Crossing Borders for an immersive reporting experience that reshaped my understanding of borders, policy, and journalistic ethics.
You can view my final project here.
We visited shelters, spoke with migrants navigating the U.S. immigration system, and learned from advocates, artists, and journalists working on the ground. Among them were artist Javier Salazar (@deportedartist), LGBTQ+ rights activist Susana Barrales, and seasoned journalists Gabriela Martínez Córdova and Kate Morrissey, alongside USC Professor Estefania Castañeda Pérez.
Friendship Park
The U.S.-Mexico border wall meets the pacific ocean in Friendship Park. Faded murals of deportees adorn the Mexican side
In 2023, the U.S. government erected an additional border wall along Friendship Park, destroying the park's binational garden.
Tania Mendoza demonstrates finger hugs. With the erection of the new border wall and metal mesh in front of the old one, finger hugs across the border are now impossible.
The wall in friendship park is covered in murals and paintings, like the ones pictured here.
SAn Ysidro Port of Entry
A man sells jewelry at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
The U.S. - Mexico border wall, as photographed in Mexico.
The El Chaparral pedestrian border crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico.
Cler
Cler is an immigrant from Columbia who currently resides in a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Her CBP One appointment for Feb. 9, 2025 was cancelled on Jan. 20, 2025. She left behind her husband and three children thinking they would be reunited soon.
Cler sits holding a tissue while being interviewed.
Susana Barrales
Susana Barrales wears roses in trans flag colors as part of her traditional Mexican folklore dance uniform.
Susana Barrales poses for a portrait in her traditional Mexican folklore dance outfit.
Susana Barrales wears roses in trans flag colors as part of her traditional Mexican folklore dance uniform.
Border line crisis center
A mural outside Border Line Crisis Center, a nonprofit shelter and community resource center that serves women and children who are seeking asylum or who have been deported.
A metal fence topped with barbed wire surrounds the entrance of Border Line Crisis Center.
The learning space for children who live in Border Line Crisis Center's shelter for women and children.
Templo embajadores de jesús
Children stand in the doorway of Templo Embajadores de Jesús, one of the largest shelters for immigrants traveling through Mexico.
