Port of Entry

Today on “Port of Entry,” we continue our series of cross-border love stories with a former Tijuana booster who grapples with his relationship with the city as it continues to suffer from record-breaking violence and other problems he can no longer ignore. *There is explicit language in this episode. Follow “Port of Entry” online at www.portofentrypod.org, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/portofen...

Today on “Port of Entry,” we launch a series of cross-border love stories. First up: How smart-phone applications are playing matchmaker for people on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Follow “Port of Entry” online at www.portofentrypod.org, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/portofentrypodcast) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/portofentrypod). Support our work at www.kpbs.org/donate. Search...

Ebony Bailey is a filmmaker currently based in Mexico City. As an American with Mexican and African roots, she identifies as “Blaxican.” And she’s drawn to telling stories like her own — stories about the mixing of cultures and the beauty that comes from it. Ebony made a film about Black migrants in Tijuana, and we talk to her about that and more in this “Border Voices” bonus episode. Our “Border...

Bienvendidos to our first-ever bonus episode. Our new “Border Voices” series will feature shorter episodes spotlighting people who identify as transborder, fronterizx or simply have a story to tell about their relationship with the U.S.-Mexico border. First up: Paulina Olvera Cáñez, founder of Espacio Migrante, a migrant shelter in Tijuana. Follow “Port of Entry” online at www.portofentrypod.org,...

Latin music has deep connections to Africa. In our recurring “Moved by Music” series, we talk to border people about music from both sides of the border. Today, Afro-Mexican researcher Jorge Gonzalez takes us on a mini trip through the evolution of Latin music, helping trace some of its roots and influences back to West Africa. It’s like a playlist with a side of history lesson. Port of Entry Play...

A growing number of Black expats are now calling Mexico home. In a new episode, we talk to people who’ve left the U.S. to find some refuge from racism south of the border. From KPBS and PRX, “Port of Entry” tells cross-border stories that connect us. Follow “Port of Entry” online at www.portofentrypod.org, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/portofentrypodcast) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/portofe...

Some people in San Diego and Tijuana can vote on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. In a new episode of “Port of Entry," we profile three of these binational citizens who can vote in elections in the U.S. and Mexico. And while you might think these folks all fall on the same side of the political fence when it comes to how they vote, actually these three are all surprisingly different. Follow “...

This is “Port of Entry,” where we tell cross-border stories that connect us. From KPBS and PRX, our debut episode launches a series on race and politics with a story about how the Black Lives Matter movement is crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a story about the intersection of migrant rights and Black rights and introduces some of the people behind the Black Lives Matter movement in Tijuana....

"Only Here" is now "Port of Entry." From KPBS and PRX, "Port of Entry" brings you cross-border stories that connect us. If you were already a subscriber, the transition should be seamless for you. Just be sure to make a mental note of our new logo and name so you can find us when you need to. For the rest of you who haven’t become loyal listeners yet, you can subscribe at www.portofentrypod.org, o...

This episode first aired in September 2019. Los Angeles is a giant when it comes to making movies. Here in San Diego and Tijuana, we’re stuck under the huge shadow of L.A. It’s hard to compete with Hollywood. But think about it: the border has good bones for eventually becoming a film mecca. It’s one, big, super diverse place that offers access to two really different backdrops. Plus, shooting a f...

This episode first aired in April 2019. According to the federal government, about 90,000 people cross legally through the San Ysidro Port of Entry every single day. Among those daily crossers are the hundreds of students who live in Tijuana, but get their education in San Diego. The international trek to school is long and annoying. But it can also be traumatic. Today, a story about students who...

We want to tell you about an exciting new season of KPBS Explore podcast, "Rad Scientist." Recent events involving the killing of unarmed Black people have brought discussions about racism to the forefront, including at scientific institutions. This season of KPBS Explore podcast "Rad Scientist" is centered on Black scientists, from graduate students to faculty to those who have left the ivory tow...

Meet a San Diego artist who dresses up as a “cleaning lady” to force a conversation about immigrant women. This episode first aired in June 2019. About the Show: “Only Here” is about the unexplored subcultures, creativity and struggles at the U.S.-Mexico border. The KPBS podcast tells personal stories from people whose lives are shaped by the tension reverberating around the wall. This is a show f...

- This episode first aired in October of 2019. - Lowriders are big in Japan. These days, the customized, slow and low to the ground cars and bikes can be found almost anywhere. Lowriding is a culture created by Chicanos and exported all over the world. But at the border, the lowrider scene is a lifeline. For lots of people here, lowriders are much more than just a hobby. The culture that’s coalesc...

In this episode: A story about trash and dirt flowing from one side of the U.S.-Mexico border to the other, and two guys’ plan to stop it. This episode first aired in December of 2019. About the Show: “Only Here” is about the unexplored subcultures, creativity and struggles at the U.S.-Mexico border. The KPBS podcast tells personal stories from people whose lives are shaped by the tension reverber...

For years, Beto Soto had two secrets. And these weren’t small secrets. These were really big secrets. The kind that define who you are. Soto is openly gay now, but he didn’t come out of the closet until a few years ago. He's also been living without citizenship papers in the United States since his family brought him here when he was 6. He kept his undocumented status quiet until recently, too. In...

The perception that the U.S.-Mexico border’s been effectively sealed shut because of the pandemic is wrong. Lots of people are still crossing. Actually, the biggest, most dramatic change in who can’t cross right now; you’re not going to find those folks at the ports of entry. Instead, you have to look inside Tijuana’s migrant shelters, and at the refugees who can’t seek asylum in the U.S. right no...

Everyone has songs they treasure — songs that evoke vivid memories and color different periods of our lives. Sometimes, music ends up shaping who we become. For Paola Villaseñor, better known as the influential border artist Panca, music from both sides of the border has been a lifelong companion whenever she’s painting. Sometimes, lyrics from songs or traces of the flow and melody of music can be...

We caught up with Jenn Budd at Las Americas mall a few months before the pandemic hit. Jenn has become well known in the border activism world. Her criticisms of U.S. immigration policies and Customs and Border Protection are harsh, and very personal. Because Jenn; she used to be a Border Patrol agent herself. Today, a story about a big perspective shift at the border. It’s also a story about how...

Today we're tracing the story of how Latin music became as popular as American pop music, all through the eyes of Isabela Raygoza. Isabela is a music journalist from Tijuana and San Diego whose career very closely paralleled the boom in Latin music that's happened over the past decade. Back in the day, when Latin stars wanted to cross over into pop music, they would have to start singing in Englis...

Ruffo Ibarra Arellano is a pedigreed chef. With his resume, he could be working at some of the fanciest Michelin-star restaurants in the world. But he chose to be here, running a restaurant in Tijuana instead. Because Ruffo loves his roots. And he wants his food to be infused with them. Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic is deeply impacting Ruffo’s work and his restaurant. It’s impacting all of u...

Dulce Garcia is undocumented, but her status has mostly fueled her ambition, not stifled it. Dulce’s an immigration lawyer. And she’s recently become one of the most high profile immigrant advocates working on the border today.

We know what’s on your mind right now: the coronavirus. And we know you, our cross-border audience, you’ve probably got one big question completely dominating your brainwaves: will our border close? Or, when our border closes, what exactly will happen? So, we’re gonna hit the pause button on our normal programming and bring you some news you can use right now. Max Rivlin-Nadler covers the border f...

Telefónica Gastro Park has grown into one of the most popular destinations for both locals and tourists in Tijuana. We continue our conversation-style episodes with Antonio Gamboa, the founder of the foodie hot spot, which has always attracted a big cross-border crowd. Antonio describes how his parking lot filled with food trucks sprouted organically and eventually grew into the sophisticated coll...

In a new episode of KPBS' border podcast "Only Here," we continue our series on border art with a mural that's broadcasting the voices of deportees and those commonly known as DREAMers, children brought to the U.S. illegally as children. From heart-wrenching stories about parents being deported and separated from their kids to first-hand accounts of what it’s like to start a new life in a new coun...