The In-Between

Emma Starkey
Jun 2
3 min read

Updated: Jun 3

A dirt path at dawn lined with floodlights and a tall border fence on the right. The sky glows in dramatic hues of pink, orange, and blue as the sun rises behind distant mountains. Tarps and cones mark the area, evoking both beauty and the stark reality of the border zone.

6 am

The December mornings are chilly but with added wind and the rolling fog coming over the Smuggler's Gulch in the Tijuana River Valley it makes it feel that much colder. Arriving on site at 6 am the slight orange tint of the sunrise peaks through the clouds and allows for the tents of white and yellow tarp to shine slightly, finally becoming clear in the morning light. The water heater is already on, quickly boiling the gallons of water needed to heat up the bellies of the morning's visitors, asylum seekers who have crossed the primary wall and now wait in between the secondary wall at the Open Air Detention Site(OADS) known as Whiskey 8.

A table inside a tent set up for asylum seekers, offering supplies like instant coffee, creamers, hot water, and snacks. Above the table, multilingual flyers with immigration information are taped to the wall, providing guidance in various languages.

6:10 am

After counting how many people want coffee, or hot cocoa for the little ones, the cups line up in a slightly staggered line following the route edge of the white table and go back to where the bin holding the different coffee supplies sits. 1 scoop instant coffee, 1 scoop powdered milk, and 2 scoop sugar to make the perfect combination of coffee in the early morning cold. As people line up to receive their coffee and a small snack of fruit and granola bars the word “Thank you” is spoken in at least 3 different languages I recognized. The flyers in 12 different languages are passed out preparing each person and educating them on the next steps in the process. They describe what to expect when the border patrol gets there, what the tents of aid are meant to supply, and other necessary information for a smooth processing experience.

A red and blue plush toy animal peeks through the rusted vertical slats of the border wall. The view beyond shows a dirt clearing and water containers, evoking themes of childhood presence and separation in a heavily surveilled space.

6:30 am

Border patrol arrives on site. They have been quicker in the last few months, as a recent ruling declared children in between the walls to be in Border Patrol custody. This led to a new law saying that children needed to be picked up within two hours of their arrival. Today there was a two-month-old baby who was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket and small yellow booties. I had quietly asked her mom how long she had been waiting, making sure to speak low enough so the baby didn't wake up. They had been there an hour.

A large black water tank chained atop white storage containers stands near a border wall at dusk. A blanket and a water bottle rest nearby, some of the basic necessities and makeshift nature of the open-air detention site.

7:00 am

Border Patrol yells directions at the people now lined up in two separate categories, people from Mexico and people from other countries. Men were in the front of each line and women and children were in the back. I am debating how long until the baby finally stirs. They go through the process of taking their shoelaces and jacket strings off, stuffing them into their bags, and stripping themselves into a single layer of clothing. I only see the baby wake up once as her mom takes her sweatshirt off, passing the baby to the man standing in front of her in line taking any measures to look funny so the baby doesn't cry.

A close-up of a pink and gray bag filled with clothes sits on the ground next to a pink baby bottle. Nearby is a silver emergency blanket, hinting at the presence of a child and the harsh living conditions at the border site.

7:30 am

I spotted a small purple bottle just inside the wall sitting propped against the water tank the mom had been sitting at earlier. It was probably the babies but there was no getting that back to her now. Next to it, a few pairs of clothes slightly wet with mildew and stained with a reddish tone of mud sit crumpled in a ball. A purse also sits sideways with a few pesos sitting against the bottom of the bag and on the dirt. The Border Patrol is busy taking pictures of everyone and scanning their passports to begin processing.

A weathered “U.S. Property – No Trespassing – Authorized Vehicles Only” sign hangs on the rusted slats of the border fence. A crate of water bottles sits nearby, contrasting the formal warning with the humanitarian needs of people gathered at the site.

8 am

Because these transport vehicles are private and are subcontracted to transport asylum seekers they are unable to cross the border. In turn, Border Patrol pushes everyone towards the secondary wall and escorts them onto the bus sitting just on the other side of the metal barrier ready to transport them from one prison to the next. The mom and baby are separated from the group now loading the long white van and are put into a small commercial vehicle marked with the green branding of border patrol. Both cars drive off and the gates of the wall close behind the people on board wave as they exit the dirt patch the OADS sits on.

open air detention site border experience

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