Friendship Park is a half-acre () binational park located along the United States-Mexico border in the San Diego–Tijuana region. Located within the larger Border Field State Park in California's San Diego county, the park includes the border fence dividing the two countries where residents of both countries can meet in person. On the U.S. side, the park used to be part of the Monument Mesa picnic area but is now wholly located on federal property under the Department of Homeland Security and is heavily monitored by U.S. Border Patrols 24 hours a day. To the south of this place is the Playas de Tijuana, Baja California. In 2022 the U.S. approved the construction of a wall, but announced soon after plans for the construction had been put on hold. In January 2023, it was announced that construction would proceed. History In the 1850s, in the aftermath of the Mexican–American War, a joint commission from the United States and Mexico erected a pyramidal statue on a beachside bluff south of what is today Imperial Beach, California to mark the initial boundary point between Mexico and the United States. On August 18, 1971, the surrounding area in the United States was inaugurated as a California State Park by First Lady Pat Nixon. Celebrating the first phase of what was envisioned as "International Friendship Park," Mrs. Nixon declared, "I hope there won't be a fence too long here." Until 1994, there was only a simple barbed wire fence, and Americans and Mexicans could meet on the border under the supervision of the U.S. Border Patrol. Various social events have taken place in this park, including yoga classes, religious services, weddings, dances and baptisms. In 1994 amidst widespread fear of illegal immigration in the area, a was constructed on the border between San Diego and Tijuana as part of Operation Gatekeeper, including one in Friendship Park. Border security was tightened in the 1990s and again after the September 11 terrorism attacks in 2001. During that time, people on opposite sides of the border were still able to touch and pass objects through the barrier. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security closed down Friendship Park and a second parallel fence was created which stretches into the Pacific Ocean that includes barbed wires, sensors, and surveillance cameras. A border patrol access road was also created, along with a third of steel bars. In late