Mexico is sending a clear message to the U.S. as border security advocates ramp up calls to close the border and prevent illegal migrants from illegally entering the country.
Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero and former Mexican foreign secretary Marcelo Ebrard installed pieces of the Berlin Wall a few steps from where the U.S. began building its stretch of border wall.
The 3-ton pockmarked, gray concrete slab sits between a bullring, a lighthouse, and the border wall extending into the Pacific Ocean.
A plaque near its base, written by Caballero, reads, "May this be a lesson to build a society that knocks down walls and builds bridges."
The message comes as border states continue their quest to separate the U.S. and Mexico despite the Biden Administration keeping the border open.
"Why in Tijuana? How many families have shed blood, labor, and their lives to get past the wall?" Caballero asked. "The social and political conflict is different than the Berlin Wall, but it's a wall at the end of the day. And a wall is always a sphinx that divides and bloodies nations."
Caballero, who lives in military barracks in Tijuana, claims she acted on threats against her brought on by U.S. intelligence officials, citing a recommendation by Mexico's federal government.
She claimed that while she understands the U.S. has to enforce its borders, the border wall represents "violence" and "family separation."
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order halting the construction of the border wall, ending former President Trump's efforts to keep illegal migrants out of the U.S.
However, the Biden Administration has since moved ahead with minuscule plans such as replacing a two-layered wall in San Diego standing 18 feet high with one rising 30 feet and stretching 0.6 miles to the ocean.
Since entering office, Biden's border crisis has seen record amounts of illegal aliens crossing the country. In July alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 183,503 migrant encounters.
Earlier this year, hundreds of thousands of migrants illegally entered the U.S. each month.
"We remain vigilant and continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those individuals who do not use lawful pathways or processes, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals," acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement.
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