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Group protests 30-foot border walls ahead of Biden's San Diego visit

A pair of 30-foot walls stand at Friendship Park, once a gathering spot for people on different sides of the border.
Friendship Park border wall
Posted at 12:41 PM, Mar 13, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-13 12:41:21-04

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to San Diego on Monday, protesters voiced their objection to the 30-foot walls that are being built at Friendship Park along the border.

The group, Friends of Friendship Park, protested about three miles east of the park, the place where the border meets the sea. In years prior, friends and family in Tijuana, Mexico, and those in San Diego could communicate through a fence at that spot.

“The purpose of today’s action was to remind President Biden on the eve of his arrival to San Diego that Friendship Park should not be disfigured having two 30-foot border walls built upon it,” said Pedro Rios, San Diego program director for American Friends Service Committee.

Rios says the organization is calling on President Biden to halt construction of the walls, adding that the previous fence height was 18 feet. He says plans for the new walls reduce visibility for people on either side.

“Our hope is that President Biden hears us. And that he should have a heart for what Friendship Park means and the history that it offers,” said Rios.

President Biden will be in San Diego Monday to meet with the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Australia to discuss details about a nuclear submarine deal.

This article was written by Madison Weil for Scripps News San Diego.

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