Letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security - REP. VARGAS CALLS ON SECRETARY MAYORKAS TO HALT ALL BORDER REMEDIATION PROJECTS AT FRIENDSHIP PARK

Letter

Dear Secretary Mayorkas,

I write this letter to strongly urge you to cease all border remediation projects at Friendship Park, located in San Diego, California.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden halted all border projects to give the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) time to review the impacts of the proposals that were authorized under the Trump Administration. In May of 2022, DHS announced that those previously paused projects would resume. The directive and guidelines laid out by your office state that these projects are to address life, safety, environmental or other remediation requirements. The current plan at Friendship Park goes contrary to those guidelines.

The current remediation project slated for Friendship Park is the continuation of the 30-foot bollard-style Trump wall. This would have a significant impact on safety, life, and the environment. One of the great assets of Friendship Park is the Binational Garden which is home to unique native plants. Construction of the proposed wall would completely destroy this beautiful garden on both sides of the border. In addition, according to a recent medical study, these higher barriers have greatly increased the severity of injuries and deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border. Injuries that are directly related to the height of the barriers include broken legs, hips, arms, backs, brain and spinal cord injuries, and other trauma-related injuries. Future policy decisions along the U.S.-Mexico border should include assessments of the effects of new barriers, including humanitarian consequences, and potential effects on local health care system resources.

As you know, Friendship Park was inaugurated by former First Lady Pat Nixon in 1971 to foster friendship and goodwill between Mexico and the United States. The park has cultivated a community between two nations and has allowed families and friends across the border to visit with one another. Unfortunately, the design of this proposed new wall does not include a pedestrian gate, on either the primary or secondary replacement barriers, effectively permanently closing access to the public. This park has served both sides of the border for generations and, as testament of its significance, last year Friendship Park celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is my concern, and that of my constituents, that this new replacement wall will destroy the intent of this binational park.

Again, I strongly urge you to cease all remediation projects at Friendship Park that would affect public access and diminish the original intent of this location. I urge you to involve community stakeholders to generate a comprehensive and site-specific design that will enable Friendship Park to continue serving this binational region as it was intended. Please give my request full and fair consideration within all applicable rules, regulations and laws set forth.

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