The Friends
A Shared Horizon
Bringing Hearts Together with Purpose
We're Growing an International Circle of Friendship and Influence
The Friends of the Park come from all walks of life the world over. We share a common vision: that someday there should be a truly international park on the U.S.-Mexico border, akin to the several such parks that already exist on the border between the United States and Canada. When we look across borders, we see people who are more alike than different. And so we look always for ways of promoting peace and understanding. We have an important story to tell and many wonderful ways for you to become a part of it.
The Friends of the Park
International Friendship Park is more than a site. It’s a beloved gathering place where connection, culture, and kinship once flourished — and will again. The Park stands at the edge of two nations, but at the center of something far greater — the promise of peace and friendship across the U.S.-Mexico border.
For decades, friends and families met here to speak through the fence, share meals, celebrate milestones, and create lasting memories. Today, access is denied to people seeking to visit the Park in the United States .. but the Friends of the Park are bringing this vision back to life! We are a growing community of individuals, families, and organizations working to restore international access by reimagining the Park as a living symbol of connection between peoples.
Together, we are safeguarding the Park’s history, amplifying its purpose, and ensuring it remains a place where friendship, dignity, and unity prevail. You, too, can become a Friend of International Friendship Park.
Friends in Community
The Park is brought to life by the people who gather here — la Comunidad. From joyful family reunions to heartfelt prayers, from community mural paintings to cross-border yoga classes, this site has seen thousands of stories unfold. The spirit of the Park lives in its people. Our community includes artists, elders, musicians, educators, faith leaders, students, migrants, environmentalists, and activists — all joined by the belief that cross-border friendship is worth celebrating.
Members of our community still gather freely at this site in Mexico, coming together to create a tapestry of culture, courage and celebration. Day after day, our friends in Mexico demonstrate the potential of this iconic venue. They are extending an invitation to the United States — “Create International Friendship Park!”
In the United States, we pursue this vision through events, holidays, and commemorations that celebrate life on both sides of the border. Even when separated by walls, we find ways to gather in unity — and we invite you to join us.
Friendship Garden / Jardín de Amistad
Friendship Garden began as a shared space — a living symbol of unity across the border. In 2020, authorities bulldozed the U.S. side of the garden without warning, destroying over a decade of work and nearly 150 native plants. The act sparked public outrage and a promise to allow replanting. This promise remains unfulfilled.
Volunteers returned to reclaim what was lost by expanding the Garden in Mexico. Today, Friends working in Mexico continue to cultivate indigenous plants in honor of the land’s earliest stewards. Seasonal workshops led by Kumeyaay elders teach sustainable practices, food justice, and environmental awareness. Each seed planted speaks to our resilience, unity, and determination. As they tend the Garden in Mexico, volunteers extend a hand in friendship in hopes the gesture will someday be reciprocated.
With each plant reintroduced, the garden reasserts its testament to resilience, friendship, and the power of community. It is more than a garden. It’s a quiet resistance — where hands in the soil become hearts in solidarity. The Garden’s rebirth is symbolic: healing what walls have torn apart. As native plants regrow, so does our sense of shared solidarity. Join us in the Garden.
Friends "On the Road"
Our “On the Road” programming brings the story of International Friendship Park to the world — through art, performance, and powerful conversation. If the people can’t come to the Park, the Park will come to the people.
Generations of artists have embraced this iconic venue as a platform for creative expression. Now, artists like Maria Teresa Fernandez, Nanzi Muro, and natalia ventura travel to share immersive experiences designed to tell the story of International Friendship Park. Programs of music, theater, dance, and visual art are being planned to activate the Park’s legacy in museums, schools, community centers, and public squares across North America.
Audiences witness the history of the U.S.-Mexico border, the struggles and resilience of borderland communities, and the vision for what this Park can become. It’s a moving reminder that friendship knows no boundaries — and a call to action for all who believe in its power
Friends Across Borders
We are building a movement that spans the length of the US-Mexico and US-Canda borders. This movement is uniting people, partners, and policymakers to stand up for peace and friendship. International Friendship Park is just one location. But Friends Across Borders is a continent-wide coalition working to amplify our message.
Through education, advocacy, and coalition-building, Friends Across Borders empowers individuals and organizations to take action. Whether you’re a city leader or a student, an artist or activist, you can learn more by Signing the Friendship Pledge.
Join us and be part of a growing chorus of voices saying: We choose friendship.
Membership
We value friendship overall and want to make more friends.
If you believe that friendship should cross borders, join us! See how you can get involved to support International Friendship Park as a place where families and friends can commune safely across the border.
FAQ
The FAQ is your go-to resource for understanding the location, history, present challenges, and future plans for International Friendship Park — and your role in its story.
Where is International Friendship Park?
International Friendship Park is located at the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border, atop a mesa (“Monument Mesa”), overlooking the iconic spot where the border wall dives into the Pacific Ocean.
Is International Friendship Park in the United States or Mexico?
Both. International Friendship Park (“El Parque de la Amistad” in Spanish) is what locals on both sides of the border call the binational meeting place that spans the international boundary. At the center of International Friendship Park stands a stone monument that sits precisely on the international boundary, its base half in the United States and half in Mexico.
Who is in charge of International Friendship Park?
On the U.S. side of International Friendship Park, the binational meeting place has been located on federal property since 2006, when the federal government took the land adjacent to the border from the State of California by eminent domain. This strip of land, now enclosed between two border walls, is heavily monitored 24/7 by San Diego Border Patrol agents. On the Mexican side of International Friendship Park, the land is part of “Playas de Tijuana,” a “colonia” within the larger city of Tijuana.
Why do people go to International Friendship Park to meet up with family and friends, instead of just crossing the border?
Thousands of people residing legally in the United States lack a status that would allow them to travel to Mexico. People with DACA, people with immigration cases pending before U.S. courts, people on parole — if people like these have family and friends in Mexico who cannot secure a visa to visit the United States, International Friendship Park becomes the only place they can be reunited in person. International Friendship Park is also a preferred location for many residents of the San Diego-Tijuana region, who gather here to work in the Binational Friendship Garden of Native Plants, to worship at The Border Church, or to celebrate with friends at annual events. International Friendship Park is a landmark location of great cultural and historical significance to the entire border region
Is it dangerous to visit the Mexican side of International Friendship Park?
No. Traveling in Mexico entails certain risks, as is true of traveling anywhere, including in the United States. That said, hundreds of thousands of people cross back and forth from the United States to Mexico each day without incident. Crossing from San Diego into Tijuana is easy, safe and secure. Every taxi driver in Tijuana knows where International Friendship Park is located – in the shadow of the famous Tijuana lighthouse, “El Faro en Playas de Tijuana.” This is an enormously popular, beautiful destination, visited by thousands of locals and tourists each weekend. Visitors to the Mexican side of Friendship Park invariably have a fabulous time. On the weekends, especially, the Mexican side of International Friendship Park feels like a “perpetual fiesta.”
Is it dangerous to visit the U.S. side of International Friendship Park?
No. Thousands upon thousands of visitors have visited the U.S. side of International Friendship Park across many years and to our knowledge there has never been a single instance of injury or harm. The members of the Friends of International Friendship Park have themselves spent tens of thousands of hours at the park and not one of us has ever felt endangered in any way. To the contrary, we find it affirming and inspiring to make friends with people on both sides of the border, which is why we advocate continually for improved public access to the U.S. side of International Friendship Park.
What documents are required to visit the U.S. side of International Friendship Park?
Sadly, the U.S. side of International Friendship Park has been closed to the public since 2020. Because the area surrounding the park is so heavily surveilled by Border Patrol agents, people without legal residency in the United States should not travel to the U.S. side of International Friendship Park or should exercise extreme caution in doing so.
What's the difference between "International Friendship Park" and "Border Field State Park?"
What locals call “International Friendship Park” is the binational meeting place located precisely on the international boundary, half in Mexico and half in the United States. The much larger surrounding area in the United States is Border Field State Park, a State Park in California. Learn more about Border Field State Park here.
Who is in charge of Border Field State Park?
Border Field State Park is part of California’s expansive State Parks system and is run by State Parks officials. The roads leading to Border Field State Park include State freeways and roads belonging to the Cities of San Diego and Imperial Beach, and the County of San Diego. Learn more about Border Field State Park here.
When is Border Field State Park open?
The State Park is intended to be open to the public in the United States during daylight hours. Recently, severe rain events and irregular cross-border flows of polluted waters have caused the State Park to be closed temporarily. Learn the current status of Border Field State Park here.
Where is the entrance to Border Field State Park?
The entrance to Border Field State Park can be found at this address: 1250 Monument Road, San Diego CA 92154. Learn more about visiting Border Field State Park and International Friendship Park on the U.S. side here.
Can I drive through Border Field State Park to get to International Friendship Park?
Vehicle access to Border Field State Park varies seasonally. The road running through the State Park is open to vehicles on weekends during the summer months when the road is not typically flooded, usually June through October. During the winter months, usually November through May, the State Park is open only to pedestrians, which means visitors wanting to visit International Friendship Park will have to hike in and out. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.
How long does it take to hike to International Friendship Park?
There are two principal hiking routes that will take you from the entrance to Border Field State Park to International Friendship Park. The round trip for each route is under just over 3 miles and mostly on level ground, but there is an ascent to reach Friendship Park, which is located atop a coastal mesa (“Monument Mesa”). You should plan a full half-hour each way if you plan to hike into International Friendship Park. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.
The vehicle gate at the entrance to Border Field State Park is closed - why?
Sometimes the vehicle gate is closed only because the road running through Border Field State Park is flooded. On these occasions you can still enter the State Park on foot or bicycle or horse during daylight hours. This does not necessarily mean that International Friendship Park (the binational meeting place on federal property) is closed for visiting hours, which for many years were Saturdays and Sundays, 10am – 2pm. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.
When was International Friendship Park founded?
In the immediate aftermath of the US-Mexico War. A binational commission chartered by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo first met at this location in 1849. The monument at the center of International Friendship Park was originally established in 1851. Because it was the first such monument put in place to demarcate the new international boundary, some people call this “the birthplace of the border.” People from both nations have met at this location for generations.