A few weeks ago I was standing at the border between San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico with five other American Baptist young adults. It was my second time to the border but my first time to be on the U.S. side looking towards Tijuana. I was filled with deep frustration and sadness.

We attended the Ecumenical bi-nation and bilingual communion church service at Friendship Park. Since we were on the U.S. side there were more regulations. We couldn’t just go right up to the first wall.

The gate on the second wall is opened Saturdays and Sundays between 10am-2pm for families to reunite through the first wall. They have the opportunity to talk face to face, pray together, touch pinkies, and share a meal. Since there is a limit of 25 people going to the wall we wanted to give families the first opportunities because the majority of them were seeing their family for the first time in years and had traveled many miles.

The church service started and we were told by Border Patrol we had to stay on California side and had to participate from a far because there were too many people within the two walls.

While we waited my eyes filled with tears and my heart broke when I saw two young women jump up and down with joy and excitement and wave to their family member that they could see on the other side.

Towards the end of the service Border Patrol allowed us to enter.

I stood there trying to fight back the tears. As I looked around I gained more perspective on the harsh realities of the separation of families due to our current Immigration Laws which make it very hard for people to get visas.

While standing with my Mexican friends we cried out together to God for help in the time of hate and racism. We prayed for God’s love will overcome and families would be reunited.

I looked through the metal mesh and I saw a little girl around the age of some of my ELL students. I saw my students in this little girl’s face. I cannot fathom the pain they feel inside and the things that they have been through when immigrating to the States. They are resilient. Many are separated from family members whether that be parents, sisters, brothers, and grandparents but are able to learn and overcome many challenges.

I looked around and was filled with a bitter sweet feeling because I could see how happy they were together and people were able to see their sons and daughters and brothers and sisters for the first time in years. But there was no shaking of hands, no hugging, but just pinkies reaching out to touch the other pinkies through the metal mesh.

Our pinkies touched and I was confronted with the harsh reality that this is the only physical touch families can do when living on either sides of border and my heart breaks even more. I looked into the eyes of my new friend. I don’t know her name nor her story and will never know. However, I do know other stories of some of the men and women standing next to her because we were able to share a meal together and hear their heart wrenching stories. They are deported moms of U.S. citizen children and deported U.S. Veterans. They all share a common story which is that they once lived legally or undocumented for a time in the States and through a variety of circumstances have all been deported. Some being punished for years and others to life and are never allowed to return to the States.

Our pinkies touched and we shared the same hope and fighting for their rights to be reunited with their spouses and children. We are fighting for justice for the deported U.S. Veterans. We are fighting for a less strenuous Immigration process.

Our pinkies touched at Friendship Park and my life will forever be changed.

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -Maya Angelou