Across the US-Mexico Border, Football Continues
Shouting the Same Message
WORDS Fay Harvey
PHOTOGRAPHY Alejandro Gutiérrez Mora
February 6, 2026
Tijuana-based FCS Member Alejandro Gutiérrez Mora’s Monday morning started like any other day he plans to cross the US-Mexico border into San Diego: He checks local Facebook groups where he finds border wait time estimates, gathers his camera equipment, and heads out the door with a couple hours to spare.
While his routine was typical, the recent feelings brewing within North America were not.
Since January, tensions have risen significantly within the states following heightened ICE presence, the unlawful killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti alongside detainment of Americans such as five-year-old Liam Ramos in Minnesota; simultaneously, city gatherings have broken out nationwide to protest the federal immigration crackdowns.
With the current climate, Ale, who was on his way to San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium to catch MLS club SDFC debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against LIGA MX’s Pumas UNAM, felt peculiar about this trip on Feb 3.
“I wouldn't say I felt fear because I wasn't doing anything wrong, but it's a weird sensation, like you're walking into a place where something's seriously wrong. I was just thinking about what kind of questions they'd ask me, whether they'd be routine questions or more aggressive ones, or questions that would make you question your own reality.”
Within 1 hour and 40 minutes and a couple standard questions at the border, Ale luckily reached San Diego with ease. The sun was setting around him, and the buzz of fans escalated in volume as he walked toward the stadium and into the swarm of fans.
“I could hear the chants of the Daygo Boys, SDFC's first official supporters' group, in the distance,” writes Ale. “As I approached, I saw banners and shirts with protest messages against ICE, and everyone there was united by that same cause, enjoying the moment, jumping, dancing, and singing. For a moment, nationality, language, and skin color didn't matter; the city's team brought these people together.”
Chants in Spanish flooded the air both inside and out of the stadium, and Ale was reminded of how the passionate culture of Barras, passionate football fan groups originating in Argentina, made its way into Mexico and now bleeds over into the US— a sign of Latinos keeping their essence alive in the face of threat.
While the meaning of a US team facing a Mexican team was momentous on this night, for Ale, these match ups have always stood for something special.
“Sometimes it's a time when Mexicans living in the United States take the opportunity to remember and return to a past they once were—their homeland, their roots, their people—and for others, it's about keeping alive the traditions of their parents or grandparents. They fill the stadiums and make the home team feel like the visitors. But specifically in San Diego, seeing their fans cheering on their team, seeing them symbolically reclaim this land and embrace their San Diego identity with its Latin roots was simply special. There are those who prefer to keep politics out of sports, but seeing a fan base is sometimes seeing a reflection of society itself. San Diego is for everyone.”“Inside, I'd describe it as a cauldron about to boil over. Too many feelings and emotions to take in. On one hand, you see people fraternizing with someone from the opposing team, and on the other, fiercely defending their position. But at the end of the day, it all stays on the field, and I get the feeling that much of that respect stems from our own origins; it's about respecting history.”
As Ale left the stadium, returning back to Tijuana, he looked over his gallery and thought not about the 4–1 win from SDFC, but about the chants, activism, and collectiveness within San Diego.
“The result was secondary. It was refreshing to see something different from what I'm used to in Tijuana, especially this mix of spectacle and social activism. Witnessing the local supporters protesting the current government's immigration policies was something I really enjoyed because it's not something you see every day. It'simportant to document.”