In the summer of 2019, as the U.S. immigration debate intensified and reports of migrant family mistreatment filled the news, I traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, with journalist David Adelson to witness the situation firsthand. Our aim was not to replicate the pace of the news cycle, but to slow it down—to listen, observe, and document the day-to-day realities of people waiting at the U.S. border.
Over several months, we made repeated trips, spending time in shelters and informal camps. We spoke with migrants living in uncertainty, as well as volunteers and staff working to support them. What we encountered was a sustained state of limbo: families crowded into temporary spaces, children creating moments of play in tight quarters, and adults balancing exhaustion, fear, and hope.
Art Day
The day created a powerful platform for migrant children to express themselves beyond language, sharing their experiences in immediate, personal ways. At Iglesia Embajadores de Jesús—a large shelter in a narrow canyon on the outskirts of Tijuana, housing refugees from Haiti and Central America—children produced dozens of striking, emotionally charged paintings that vividly portrayed their journeys to the U.S. border.
Border Wall
Border Wall
A Children's day of Art
Iglesia Embajadores de Jesus, a large migrant shelter in Tijuana located in a narrow canyon on the outskirts of Tijuana
