Border patrol in Freedom Park By Sofia Casillas Border Field State Park in South San Diego may be saved from closure through the efforts of immigrant-rights groups who have fought for public access. The border park closure would have stopped visitors from horseback riding, hiking, swimming and frolicking at the beach in the area also known as Friendship Park. A second border fence is being built parallel to the existing one, to help further secure the area, said Clay Phillips, sector superintendent for the Southern Sector of State Parks. The park, which borders the U.S.-Mexico border, is set up so Mexican citizens can visit with friends and family on the U.S. side through a fence. The 20-foot fence, which cost $59 million, will help prevent illegal objects, such as drugs or fraudulent documents, from being passed through the fence, Phillips said. "It is essentially complete," he said. Since December, the fence has been declared off-limits because U.S. Border Patrol agents said that it would be difficult to monitor a public gathering in between both fences. In January, there were faltering plans to allow visitors to enter the second gate to access a 40-foot-wide space that borders the monument. Border Patrol agents have witnessed visitors passing items through the fence and are afraid the problem will increase. Agents have observed visitors frequently trying to hand drugs, weapons and food through the fence. "They made (the fence) to watch over people," said Christian Chavez, 26, a San Diego resident. "They sometimes come when someone has been here for a long time." Chavez said border agents hassle him if he lingers too long at the park or beach. He and Carlos Sanchez, a 22-year-old Tijuana resident who makes tortillas for a living, were at Friendship Park June 17, hanging out on a hot, sunny day. Sanchez said he visits the park to pass time. Two years ago, he was deported, leaving behind his parents and siblings in Phoenix. "I got kicked back into Mexico," he said. The border park also faces possible closure by the state. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put it and about 200 other state parks on a list of possible closures, to help with a $24.3 billion budget deficit. • • • Vox is the newspaper of the 2009 CCNMA-San Diego Multicultural Journalism Workshop. Return to index | See also: Vox on Blogspot