Juan Manuel Barragan Corona, distraught after being recently deported, descends the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Playas de Tijuana after tying a piece of red fabric to one of the wall bars. Sunday March 10, 2019. Photo: Mabel Jiménez

Editor’s note:

The issue of El Tecolote you see before you is one that is dedicated in its entirety to the manufactured crisis currently playing out at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mabel Jiménez, our former photo editor and who has been a loyal member of our Tecofamilia for 10 years, wrote and photographed each and every story in this issue. We are in an era where our migrant communities continue to be the scapegoats and targets of a presidential administration, whose very foundation is based on white supremacy. We feel it’s more important than ever, not only for our communities to tell and reclaim our own stories, but for those of us who were born on the northern side of a man-made border to utilize our privilege and stand up for our communities who are defenseless against these racist attacks. With that, we present you these stories, not with the intention of filling you with despair, but to help you find compassion.

Why I, a journalist, went to Tijuana and decided to help

Queer in the caravan: The dangers LGBT migrants face in search for asylum

Overburdened, Tijuana’s shelters struggle to meet demands

Friendship Park, once a symbol of binational camaraderie now keeps families divided