Going There: Beyond Borders

Borders. Fences. Walls.

They run deep in our nation's culture and our sense of self. They signal who belongs and who doesn't.

San Diego is part of a thriving border economy, where tens of thousands of people cross into the region each day and more than $40 billion worth of trade takes place each year.

Yet drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration take place here, too. Some say we need to tighten the border, to build a higher wall.

But borders are also places of encounter, discovery and ingenuity. The mingling of languages, cultures and ideas can make border regions exciting places to live, places of dynamic tension and possibility.

NPR's Going There with Michel Martin and KPBS present a provocative discussion about the creativity and the complications that come with living near the border.

Join the conversation on Tuesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. PT and by tweeting with the hashtag #NPRBeyondBorders.

Featured Social Media Guests

Astrid Dominguez, @astridalheli, immigrants' rights policy strategist for @ACLUTx

Stefan Falke, @stefanfalke, photographer, author of La Frontera - which documents artists on the Mexican/U.S. border

Charles Kuck, @ckuck, immigration lawyer, host of Immigration Hour podcast

Javier Plascencia, @JavPlascencia, chef from Tijuana, owns several restaurants throughout Mexico and California

Debbie Nathan, @DebbieNathan2, Texas investigative reporter in Rio Grande Valley for @ACLUTx

Featured Guests

Jacqueline Arellano, Border Angels volunteer

Alfonso Gonzalez, businessman with offices on both sides of the Mexican/U.S. border

Jean Guerrero, @jeanguerre, KPBS Fronteras Reporter

Jorge Meraz, @MerazRambler, host of KPBS-TV travel show Crossing South

Terry Shigg, @NBPC1613, longtime border patrol agent

Featured Performers

Jean Guerrero

The B-Side Players, @Bsideplayers

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