Children on either side of the US-Mexico border are finally able to play together after an innovative set of see-saws was installed at the barrier wall.
The result of a decade-long project dreamed up by two professors, Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, the idea became a reality on Monday when the Teetertotter Wall finally opened to the public.
It consists of pink see-saws anchored to the fence separating the two countries.
Posting a video of the project on Instagram, Rael described it as “one of the most incredible experiences of my... career” and an “event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness”.
He added: “The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side.”
The installation is welcome ray of light from an area that consistently makes headlines for stories of death, detention and political posturing.
Last month a picture of a father and her 23-month-old daughter, dead and lying face down in the Rio Grande laid bare the often fatal reality of the thousands of migrants that flee South America in search of a more prosperous life in the US.
President Trump’s quest to build his long-vaunted border wall was given a boost earlier this week when the US Supreme Court cleared the way for the his administration to use billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to build it.
The court’s five conservative justices gave the administration the green light to begin work on four contracts it has awarded using Defence Department money.
Funding for the projects had been frozen by lower courts while a lawsuit over the money proceeded, the Press Association reports.