Another perspective of Tijuana

Financial Times correspondent Adam Thomson is posting blog-like descriptions about his 14-day visit along the U.S.-Mexico border, and you can read what he has to say here.  

In his first few days in Tijuana, Adam checked into a hotel in the central district, visited the migrant shelter and took a stroll along  the western-most part of the border fence where metal meets the ocean waters(picture above). The postings, called “Mexico border diary,” provide a traveller’s perspective of life along the border. The latest border diary page is from Mexicali.   (addition: The “border diary” seems to have prompted some critical response for its description of Tijuana. See comments below…) 

Thomson’s project involves writing more standard news stories about border issues – such as this one from the Texas border –  in what’s described as a series on “the changing nature of the US-Mexico border, on communities being torn apart by restrictive U.S. policies,” according to the paper’s web site.

A tale of two officers, in San Diego and Tecate

Image via Wikipedia

It’s easy to get cynical about about law enforcement agencies south of the border where corruption ranges from tourist shakedowns to drug trafficking connections.

But not everyone is on the take – and the problems aren’t isolated to Mexico. The Los Angeles Times published a story this past weekend about Juan Jose Soriano, the high-ranking Tecate police officer who was gunned down in December, 2007, after U.S. authorities found a cross-border tunnel.

The story, based on interviews with sources north and south of the border, finds that Soriano was likely killed for doing the right thing. Read the article by Richard Marosi for more details about Soriano’s assistance to U.S. authorities prior to the officer’s death.

Meanwhile, media reported last week the arrest of San Diego police officer Juan Hurtado Tapia. The officer has been charged in U.S. federal court in connection with passing information to members of what appears to have been a cross-border drug smuggling ring.

Both cases raise interesting questions about what makes individuals go against the grain, for better or worse, and in how stereotypes play a role in our perception of these border incidents.

Picture of Tecate streetfront.