Border City is the story of a journalist who in 1994 impulsively leaves her job and family in Washington, D.C., to report on Tijuana, Mexico, a city commonly known for drug violence and illegal immigration into the U.S. She expects to stay on the border a year, maybe two. But her plans change as she is drawn deeper and deeper into the different worlds that converge at the biggest crossing point on the U.S.-Mexico border.
11 Available Episodes (11 Total)Average duration: 00:22:23
Jan 28, 2025
Introducing: Crimes of the Times
00:01:00
L.A. Times reporter Christopher Goffard of “Dirty John” is back with another riveting podcast from L.A. Times Studios. In “Crimes of the Times,” Goffard goes deep behind the scenes of a new story each week, cutting through common myths and misconceptions to uncover what really happened in the most compelling cases from L.A. and beyond.
Jan 16, 2025
Introducing: Boiling Point
00:01:27
Climate change is battering California. Can the state find a way forward? Listen every Thursday as award-winning L.A. Times columnist Sammy Roth breaks down the many complexities of today's climate challenges and solutions with top experts in the field.
May 24, 2022
Resilience and hope
00:34:53
A random accident forces Sandra to slow down and embrace her life on the border. New waves of migrants arrive in Tijuana, pushed by violence, poverty, and political upheaval and fueled by dreams of reaching the United States.
May 17, 2022
Tijuana's rocky rebirth
00:28:55
Artists, chefs and ordinary citizens point the way to a revitalized Tijuana, even as the city faces new challenges. Sandra faces challenges too. Two deaths in her own family.
May 10, 2022
Tijuanenses fight back
00:29:42
Doctors in their white coats protest the violence, while some young musicians refuse to stay home, and an arts promoter opens a new gallery. Sandra feels caught between two worlds as she flies back and forth to Washington to care for her ailing mother.
May 03, 2022
Upheaval in the cartels
00:32:39
The Arellano cartel grows weaker as its top leaders fall, but the violence continues. Threats strike new fears in the highest echelons of law enforcement. The Tijuana opera hosts an inaugural performance. Sandra’s mother flies in from Washington, D.C. and meets Sandra’s friend Angela.
Apr 26, 2022
Gun battles and concerts
00:27:14
Sandra covers the assassination of another police chief and the arrest of a powerful drug suspect. She also sings with the Tijuana opera and invites friends from both sides of the border to a concert on a hillside looking out toward San Diego.
Apr 19, 2022
A journalist is shot
00:26:47
Sandra ponders the fine line that separates danger from safety in this city of contrasts. A prominent Tijuana journalist is ambushed and a family falls victim to the Arellano cartel. But she also sees another side of the city, as her friend Angela throws her a surprise birthday party.
Apr 12, 2022
Building a life
00:31:24
The kidnapping of a prominent maquiladora executive — and the threatening presence of the Arellano drug cartel — overshadow the city’s ambitious effort to boost its image. But like many Tijuana residents, Sandra feels little personal danger as she settles into her new life and explores the city.
Apr 05, 2022
Crime and friendship
00:30:09
Sandra Dibble expected to stay in Tijuana a year. Instead she found herself drawn into the worlds that intersect at this crossroads of the Americas. Journalists. Migrants. Artists. Drug gangs. Tijuana is a place where paths converge, often in unexpected ways.
Jan 28 | 00:01:00
Introducing: Crimes of the Times
Jan 16 | 00:01:27
Introducing: Boiling Point
May 24 | 00:34:53
Resilience and hope
May 17 | 00:28:55
Tijuana's rocky rebirth
May 10 | 00:29:42
Tijuanenses fight back
May 03 | 00:32:39
Upheaval in the cartels
Apr 26 | 00:27:14
Gun battles and concerts
Apr 19 | 00:26:47
A journalist is shot
Apr 12 | 00:31:24
Building a life
Apr 05 | 00:30:09
Crime and friendship
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