Friendship Park Will Stay Open, Border Patrol Chief Says in Reversal

Friendship Circle, also known as Friendship Park, will not close after all.

San Diego Sector Border Patrol Chief Paul Beeson had notified the group Friends of Friendship Park last month that sequestration cuts would lead to closure.

For decades, the park atop Monument Mesa has acted as a meeting place for people in both the U.S. and Mexico.

Beeson reversed that decision Tuesday, according to agent Timothy Hamill.

"Access to Friendship Circle will be maintained, as is currently being done at this time," Hamill told IB Patch.

Formerly within Border Field State Park, Friendship Park now sits within a 130-foot wide space between border fences controlled by the federal government.

No more than 10 people are allowed in Friendship Park at one time; agents from the Imperial Beach station will supervise. The park is open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

On Monday, the government announced that furlough and overtime cuts would be delayed, but that sequestration could still impact the way the Border Patrol operates in the future.

After weeks of bracing for a hit to their pocketbooks, agent Thane Gallagher told The Washington Post that Border Patrol staff are relieved.

“For now, people can breathe easy . . . but we don’t know for how long," he said.

The park was first established in 1971 by then First Lady Pat Nixon.

A makeover for Monument Mesa on the U.S. side of the fence was finished last year. New grass and shaded picnic benches were installed. A new sea wall was also installed.

A park on the Mexican side of the fence also underwent renovations last year.

Friends of Friendship Park petitioned to have the park remain open after threats of closure were made in 2009, according to KPBS. The group and architect Jim Brown later made recommendations on how to renovate Friendship Park.