On 5 May 2017 12 athletes swam across the border from the United States to Mexico in a swim for human rights inspired by the current atmosphere of negativity around immigration. Swimmers from the United States, Mexico, Israel, New Zealand and South Africa took part in the 6.2 mile swim from Imperial Beach California to Tijuana, just a short distance from a border fence that extends into the Pacific Ocean. A Mexican naval ship accompanied them in the final stages and more than 100 school children came to welcome the swimmers onto Mexican shores.
Endurance swimmer Kim Chambers from New Zealand, who is living in San Francisco as a legal permanent resident of the US, came up with the idea and explained: “We’re doing this to show you can have empathy. For the children to see this is very emotional. This is not a protest, this is not a political statement. This is purely a swim for human rights and to cast a global spotlight on human suffering and that every human life is valuable. That’s what this is about.”