U.S.-Mexico Border Archives

An aerial view of President Donald Trump's border wall prototypes as seen from Tijuana, Mexico, on January 7th, 2019.

How Many of Trump’s Border Wall Claims Are True?

In his primetime address, Trump will try to frame the border as a national emergency and a humanitarian crisis. But the current pressure—and exigence for the address—comes from the ongoing government shutdown.

Jack Herrera

View of the U.S.–Mexico border wall on January 7th, 2019, in Tijuana, Mexico.

News in Brief

The United States’ States of Emergencies

Trump's threat to use a national emergency for the border wall taps into a history of far-reaching executive power.

Emily Moon

Central American migrants run away from tear gas after they try to cross from Tijuana into California on January 1st, 2019.

Border Patrol Fires Tear Gas at Migrants Attempting to Cross the U.S. Border in Tijuana (in Photos)

A group of 150 migrants had approached the border barrier in an attempt to cross, and, after the tear gas was fired, the clash escalated.

Jack Herrera

Honduran migrants look through the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana, Mexico on December 15th, 2018. Former Attorney Jeff Sessions issued an interim decision in June in which he ruled that the violence survivors did not merit asylum.

Social Justice

Here’s What Immigrant Rights Groups Are Saying After a Federal Judge Ruled That the Trump Administration’s Ban on Domestic Violence Victims Violated Immigration Law

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions "unlawfully and arbitrarily imposed a heightened standard" blocking escapees from violence from seeking refuge in the United States, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Massoud Hayoun

A family of three from Honduras crosses the border wall on the beach in Tijuana, Mexico, before surrendering to Border Patrol on the other side on December 13th, 2018.

Social Justice

In Tijuana, Some Migrant Families Choose Detention Over a Tent City

Migrants planning to cross, both legally and illegally, say they fear Customs and Border Patrol detention. But because asylum-seekers entering legally are also detained, many still decide to cross the border illegally.

Jack Herrera

Even though the migrant shelter at Benito Juárez sports complex was closed and condemned as unsanitary, over 300 migrants remain camped on the street outside the complex.

Social Justice

‘I’m Not Letting the Other Side Out of My Sights’: Why Some Migrants in Tijuana Refuse to Use the New Indoor Shelter

Though the government has opened a large indoor shelter in Tijuana for members of the caravan, around 350 migrants remain in a tent village against the border.

Jack Herrera

Two migrants lean against a rail next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana, Mexico, on August 10th, 2018.

Emergency Responders on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Ieva Jusionyte explores the spirit of first response in an area where dangers don't care about boundaries.

Peter C. Baker

A Honduran woman waits along the border bridge after being denied entry into the U.S. from Mexico on June 25th, 2018, in Brownsville, Texas.

Social Justice

One Immigrant Mother Is Fighting to Be Reunified With Her Daughter—Who’s a U.S. Citizen

Advocates estimate there are dozens of similar cases of immigrant parents separated from their children who have American citizenship.

Massoud Hayoun

Central American migrants (mostly Hondurans) run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, near the U.S.–Mexico border, after the U.S. border patrol threw tear gas to disperse them after an alleged verbal dispute, on November 25th, 2018.

News in Brief

Tear Gas on the Border Is Only the Beginning of a Standoff That Could Last Months

Legal experts and migrants' rights advocates warn that the crisis will persist as migrants continue to arrive in Tijuana and other border towns.

Jack Herrera

Honduran migrants take part in a caravan toward the United States in Chiquimula, Guatemala, on October 17th, 2018.

Social Justice

Americans Who Fear the Migrant Caravan Don’t Meet Very Many Immigrants

New research finds that residents of the Southeast, Midwest, and Mountain Northwest are more likely to view the caravan as a threat than their counterparts in the Northeast and Southwest—where immigrants make up a larger share of the local population.

Massoud Hayoun