In this photo taken May 5, 2019, Border Church is underway, and people in Tijuana use this spot at the border wall to meet family and friends separated by immigration status on the U.S. side.
The Border Church, or La Iglesia Fronteriza, is not a brick-and-mortar church. In fact, the only wall here at this weekly outdoor service is the one separating the United States from Mexico. Border Church is an outdoor church that meets every Sunday on both sides of the international border fence between San Diego and Tijuana. The weekly church service is a religious celebration, but it also helps ensure that Border Patrol will continue to allow people to use this place as a meeting point. This spot, where the border wall runs into the Pacific Ocean, is where families whose immigration status doesn’t allow them to travel between the two countries can meet each other through the fence. This is the only place along the Southern California border where people can legally walk right up to the fence and touch people on the other side - just barely by poking their little fingers through holes in a steel mesh barrier, but still, it’s a touch. Today, a story about Border Church and the people who power it. Only here can you find a weekly church service that reaches people standing on both sides of the border fence. It’s a church that works to help protect access for families who want to meet through the wall.
The Border Church, or La Iglesia Fronteriza, is not a brick-and-mortar church. In fact, the only wall here at this weekly outdoor service is the one separating the United States and Mexico.
Church services are held every Sunday on both sides of the international border fence between San Diego and Tijuana. It is a religious celebration, but it also helps ensure that the U.S. Border Patrol will continue to allow people to use this place as a meeting point. Every Sunday Border Church founder John Fanestil said he asks the agent on duty to open the fence.
This spot, where the border wall runs into the Pacific Ocean, is where families whose immigration status doesn’t allow them to travel between the two countries can spend time with each other through the fence. It's the only place along the Southern California border where people can legally walk right up to the fence and touch people on the other side — just barely by poking their fingers through holes in a steel mesh barrier, but still, it’s a touch.
In this photo taken Sunday, May 5, 2019, a person in Tijuana reaches through the border wall to "pinkie kiss" his family member on the U.S. side.
In a new episode of "Only Here," KPBS' podcast about life at the Western Hemisphere's busiest border crossing, a story about The Border Church and the people who power it.
Kinsee Morlan
In this photo taken Sunday, May 5, 2019, pastor and Border Church founder John Fanestil prepares to hike out to the border fence.
Kinsee Morlan is an award-winning journalist who's covered arts and culture in San Diego and Tijuana since 2005. She produces KPBS' "Port of Entry" podcast and manages the rest of the station's podcasts.
