Municipal workers used pruning machines and garden shears to severely cut back or destroy plants at the International Friendship Garden near the Playas de Tijuana lighthouse on Monday, May 19. The Tijuana friendship garden, an 18-year-old binational conservation project planted with native regional species along the border wall, now faces what its volunteer committee calls a threat to the survival of its plants. Workers told the committee they were acting on direct orders from the Ayuntamiento, Tijuana’s city government.
“Our garden was pruned to an extreme that puts the survival of the plants at risk,” the International Friendship Garden Committee said in a public statement posted to social media. “This act was carried out at a time of year when pruning should not be done. Some plants were totally destroyed and all were mutilated.”
An 18-Year Binational Project at the Playas de Tijuana Lighthouse
The International Friendship Garden sits steps from the iconic Playas de Tijuana lighthouse, where the border fence extends into the Pacific Ocean. Volunteers founded the garden around 2008 as an environmental education project focused on conserving native coastal sage scrub, a plant community that once covered much of the Tijuana-San Diego coastline. The garden grew into a cross-border meeting point. Volunteers from both sides of the border tended native species and held educational workshops at the site.
The Friendship Park area, where the garden sits, has been a symbolic gathering place for binational families for decades. The U.S. side of the park, managed by the National Park Service as part of Border Field State Park, underwent its own controversial changes when the federal government installed secondary fencing and restricted cross-border gatherings. On the Mexican side, the lighthouse plaza and surrounding green space remained accessible, and the garden became one of the few community-led conservation projects in the area.
The committee said the workers who carried out Monday’s destruction were employees they already knew. These same workers had previously collaborated with volunteers to maintain the garden. But this time, the workers told the committee the pruning order came directly from city hall. The workers report to Alejandro Roberto Ibarra Moreno, the delegate (district administrator) for Playas de Tijuana.
Aggressive pruning in late May is particularly damaging to native coastal plants. Many species in the region are entering their summer dormancy period after spring flowering. Cutting them back severely at this stage can prevent energy storage and kill root systems. The committee stressed that some plants were not pruned but “totally destroyed.”
Garden Destroyed Hours Before Burgueño Met Playas Residents Over Cañada Azteca
The timing of the destruction drew immediate suspicion from residents. The garden was cut back just hours before Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz held a meeting with more than 400 Playas de Tijuana residents on the evening of May 19. That meeting focused on a separate, high-profile dispute: the Civantia housing development in Cañada Azteca, a natural drainage area near the coast.
The Civantia project, developed by RUBA, one of Mexico’s largest homebuilders, has drawn fierce opposition from the community group Defendamos Playas de Tijuana. Residents argue the development threatens a natural canyon that serves as a wildlife corridor and flood buffer. Burgueño told the 400 attendees that the RUBA construction site would remain sealed (clausurada), though opponents remain skeptical of the city’s long-term commitment to blocking the project.
The garden destruction and the Cañada Azteca fight share a common thread: both involve Playas de Tijuana residents pushing back against what they see as the Burgueño administration’s disregard for green space and community-led environmental efforts. The garden committee’s public statement framed the incident in exactly those terms, demanding an explanation “for the actions taken against our garden, against the green areas of Tijuana, against the native plants of our region, and against the legitimate citizen efforts to maintain the well-being of our communities.”
Playas de Tijuana Green Space Under Pressure From Development
Playas de Tijuana has seen rapid development over the past decade. Luxury condominiums and mixed-use towers now line much of the coastal strip between the lighthouse and the main commercial avenue. The neighborhood draws a significant number of American residents and cross-border commuters who work in San Diego. Property values along the Playas coastline have climbed sharply, and open green space has shrunk.
The few remaining undeveloped parcels, including the Cañada Azteca canyon and the narrow strip along the border wall where the garden sits, have become flashpoints. Community groups see them as the last buffer against full buildout of the coastline. The city government faces pressure from developers and federal housing policy to approve new construction, while residents organize to preserve what open land remains.
The garden committee has not announced legal action but is demanding a formal explanation from Mayor Burgueño. The group said it would continue documenting the damage and seeking accountability. Burgueño’s office has not publicly responded to the garden incident. The next scheduled public meeting between the mayor and Playas residents has not been announced. This story was first reported by Punto Norte.