Friendship Park, which has long served as a bi-national meeting place for families along the U.S.-Mexico border, has been closed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“We need to open Friendship Park. It's more than past time, it is absolutely necessary to open,” Rep. Juan Varas, D-San Diego, said.
Vargas joined Friends of Friendship Park outside of San Diego Sector’s Border Patrol Headquarters in Chula Vista on Thursday.
Vargas dropped off a letter to border patrol officials, demanding the reopening of FriendShip Park, which has been closed for 600 days.
“You can’t say it's because of COVID-19, you can't say that any longer. It should be open today,” Vargas said.
Pedro Rios with Friends of Friendship Park said Border Patrol officials have previously stated that a lack of personnel to secure the area was a reason for the continued closure.
For 50 years, Friendship Park has served as a meeting place where loved ones can reunite. It’s the only space designated for cross border contact along the U.S. Mexico border.
Dan Watman, who is also a friend of the park, said families are the ones that are suffering.
“We really feel like the aspect of friendship and family connection is missing and it’s been missing for 600 days now, and it needs to be made a priority,” Watman said.
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Azucena Lopez called her mom to tell her she was at border patrol headquarters on Thursday, to ask them to reopen the park.
The park is the only way Lopez can see her parents, who now live in Jalisco.
“My parents went back to Mexico 10 years ago. My grandma got sick so they went back and they can’t come back since they don't have any legal documents,” Lopez said.
Through the border fence at the park, Lopez’s parents have been able to see their grandchildren grow up.
She remembers the first time she reunited with her parents at the park in 2015. She was pregnant with her youngest son.
Lopez says her mom's health has declined. She doesn't know how many more times her mom will be able to make it down to Tijuana to meet her at the park.
Lopez is a DACA applicant and can’t enter Mexico.
Thousands just like her call Friends of Friendship Park every day with the same concern.
“They call wanting to know when the park is going to reopen, when it will open, they travel thousands of miles just to see each other at the park,” Watman said.
We reached out to the border patrol for a timeframe for when the park would reopen, but have not heard back.
