California city has an upgraded portion of border fencing that is central to President Trump’s immigration policy. Local residents say there are bigger issues here than a fence.
Motorists wait in line to cross the border into Calexico, Calif., from Mexicali, Mexico on Monday. President Trump plans to visit Calexico on Friday. CALEXICO, Calif. — There are no golf courses in Calexico. There are no five-star hotels. The Holiday Inn Express recently earned 5 stars on Yelp, in part due to its “comfy” beds, and the new mall, which includes an H&M and a Gymboree Outlet, has been a hit with shoppers from both sides of the border fence.
“We’re a small city. This is crazy,” said David Dale, the city manager, gesturing to the long list of press events he and Mayor Lewis Pacheco have scheduled. Pacheco said he welcomes Trump, because Calexico is a welcoming kind of place. “The people here are open to receiving anybody.
When facing south, the fence is omnipresent downtown, where empty storefronts, Spanish-language help wanted ads for truck drivers and a plasma donation center signal the economic troubles here. But the fence doesn’t draw much local attention — it’s just there. “There’s a really big need for the barrier. There’s no fooling about it. The people that come shopping here in our community will still continue to come shopping here,” Davies said, noting that closing the border could hurt Calexico financially — but could be worth it. “Desperate times necessitate desperate measures. I understand that would affect our economy, but I think what the president is trying to do is twist the arm of Mexico a little bit.
“The day I started seeing more guards, the day I started seeing barbed wire, part of me — I got scared,” Leon said. “The wall? I don’t think about it. The security, the barbed wire, the tension, I feel it. And sometimes I’m scared of it.”“I don’t know why he’s coming, to be honest,” said Carlos Robles, who works in an income tax office. “I feel like he’s just going to come and agitate the whole ‘caravan is coming.’ That’s a problem on the other side, but not here.
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