Fixing the broken border, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

This is the border between the USA and Mexico, at Border Field State Park, California. The fence was here destroyed by the force of the sea and it is being reconstructed. For a citizen of an European Union country without border fences, it is quite a shock to see a beach separated by a metallic fence. This is not 1960's Berlin, nor Israel / West Bank war zone. Is this the best answer for the US immigration problems? The answer is to be given by the US citizens and their government. As a Portuguese I'd like just to register here my surprise of seeing a fence separating land, beach and sea of neighboring nations.
Update: I posted a photo of the other side of the fence, after it has been repaired; I titled it El Otro Lado (The Other Side), in Playas de Tijuana.
Location: 32.5343634, -117.1239647.
See also my other photos of this theme:
USA-Mexico: Border & Immigrants.

snuggleaphagus, jubs, Dr_Nibbles, plimrn, edal, calimex, riclopes, lucasgalodoido, paura, Amaz, maloutim has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snuggleaphagus (4146) 2006-02-03 1:08

Esta separacao entre paises e gentes foi sempre uma coisa que me faz uma confusao enorme, e por isso dedico a minha vida professional a ajudar imigrantes (especialmente do mexico). A foto esta boa com boa cor e definicao. As mares estao bonitas. Seria bom se tivesse um pouco mais espcao em cima.

bem vindo ao mundo de trekearth.

RGatward (20108) 2006-02-03 4:23

Pretty interesting shot Francisco, does look like it would be much use against a strong swimmer, and it spoils the beach too, pretty unpleasant sight. Reflecting on your note, I've been down to an EU beach border (Russia/Lithuania), and its also quite a descrete affair, the thing you show here just looks like it's been built to make a point rather than jsut practical reasons.

Incidentally, have you seen the scavenger hunt, this woudl make an interesting entry for it.

MIG13 (0) 2006-02-03 19:36

Olб, Francisco! Sua foto mostra bem um exemplo do desvairio do ser humano... E quem, como os portugueses e seus decendentes (meu caso), tem uma histуria de migraзгo e de universalismo, sabe exatamente o significado desse tipo de coisa. Parabйns pela foto-documento! SDS, Miguel.

jubs (230) 2006-02-05 5:18

This is an interesting photo and you make a good political point. Although, you might agree this fence signifys the need to keep out that which is different and therefore threatening,which is to a degree the way American politics have operated for the past few hundred years. Thanks for posting such an interesting photo documentry.
Cheers
Jules

Dr_Nibbles (287) 2006-02-06 4:51

Well, it really looks bad, but I think it always is the rich countries' policy to try to keep all others out. In post-cold-war Germany the "Iron Curtain" really was made out of wires, and if you look at Spain, they're constructing a surveillance system in the southern coast line, which exactly has the same effect, so a rather electronical barrier.

Technically I have absolutely no complaints, it's very well done, apart of maybe the horizon declining a bit to the right.
And I think there should be more photos like this on TE. Showing human negative behaviour and not only beauty.

Continua asim!
Atй a proxima

plimrn (21344) 2006-02-09 5:25

"The answer is to be given by the US citizens and their government."

Having put much time and money into trying to change the outcome of the past election, I'm not sure there is a very strong relationship between the US Government and the majority of the citizens. You might go to www.blackboxvoting.com for more information about the huge flaws in our voting system.

I used to feel a bit judgemental about the citizens of Germany during Hitler's time, but now I feel that this government is just as bad and I feel powerless to change it.

ktanska (44464) 2006-02-10 2:52

Hi Francisco,
Interesting place, good note and great to see work related shot.
I like the layering here: dryish foreground, construction workers and the see.
It's a pity that such a scene is easy to miss as a thumbnail.
Horizon is slightly tilted though.
Kari

perlindqvist (88) 2006-03-02 15:53

I like your comments to the pics. Since I’m origin from Sweden I’m not use to these kinds of borders either.
As an example, the border between Sweden inside EU and Norway outside EU is almost invisible.

edal (6804) 2006-09-28 1:36

Hi Francisco!
I just thought about sneaking through this hole in the USA without giving my fingerprints and taking my pants off untill you discouraged me by showing this picture...
Anton

calimex (151) 2007-05-04 2:23

This series on the border and migration is very strong. Good work, Francisco!
This photo really speaks for itself.
That's why it's so effective.
I won't say another word.

Josй

riclopes (35577) 2007-05-11 2:26

As duas complementam-se muito bem, Francisco. Excelente perspectiva para nos dar o contexto que a outra nгo dб. Й mesmo estranho. Que confusгo que esta imagem me faz.
ric

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2008-06-23 16:58

Olб Francisco,
interessante essa, de vez em quando gosto de ir as primeiras fotos das galerias, e vejo que seu estilo continua o mesmo. Na verdade acho que esse muro nгo adianta nada aн, й sу dar uma nadadinha e pronto, povo burro esses americanos...
Parabйns e Abraзo

jmdias (114240) 2009-08-30 13:30

chico

acho que jб devo ter lhe dito que penso que esta cerca pesada nгo segura as coisas como os americanos pensam, um esquema de contratos temporбrios e puniзгo severa para quem os burlarem seria suficiente para manter os imigrantes ilegais fora do paraнso americano. й a lei de mercado: se nгo hб vagas porque alguйm iria parar lб ? o esquema temporбrio daria аs pessoas a noзгo de que nгo pertencem бquela terra e sim а sua, mais pessoas teriam a chance de ir e de vir fazer o sonho americano. acontece algo parecido no japгo, os japas borrazopolitanos que lб foram trabalhar sгo incontбveis, existem regras e eles sу sгo admitidos dentro delas, se bem que lб eles usam um critйrio racial para admitir imigrantes (se vc nгo for esposo, filho, neto, bisneto de um japonкs nгo pode ir trabalhar lб, no caso de esposos nгo orientais os descendentes assinam um termo de responsabilidade por eles e seus atos).
fico impressionado como vc foi atй este local para fazer esta interessante foto, nгo creio que seja numa praia tгo prуxima ao centro de san diego, acho que vc veio de propуsito para ver a coisa toda.
belo trabalho informativo, й como erguer um castelo de areia e esperar que o mar nгo o destrua ( e nгo estou dizendo que й o mar que o destruirб)

abraзos

jorge

paura (25802) 2009-12-23 12:44

Francisco,
Muito interessante a imagem, bem complementada pela excelente nota. Mais interessante ainda por isso aн jб ter sido dos Mexicanos, nй?

abraзo

Paulo

Amaz (11475) 2009-12-29 2:34

Interessante documento, amigo Francisco!!
Boa composiзгo!!

Parabйns,

Cumprimentos

pajaran (114867) 2011-04-06 22:47

Pozdrav.
Prve fotografije zovu i bude secanja ...
Dobar trenutak snimka i tekst, lep pogled na mesto i uzburkano more.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija i pocetak rada na TE.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Google.

Hello.
The first photo is called memories ...
A good time recording and text, a nice view of the place and the rough sea.
Good work, beautiful photos and start work on the TE.
All the best.
Paja.

Photo Information

Copyright: Francisco Santos (xuaxo) (6854)
Genre: МЕСТА
Medium: ЦВЕТНОЙ
Date Taken: 2006-02-01
Categories: ЕЖЕДНЕВНОЕ
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/320 секунд
More Photo Info: view
Map: view
Версия: Оригинальная версия
Темы: Borders / Frontiиres, THE WALL, USA-Mexico: Border & Immigrants, Xuaxade [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-02-03 0:54
Избранное: 1 [view]