“Caution”
Discarded clothing found in the Borderlands, hand-sewn onto repurposed textiles.
CAUTION (2025)
Who wore these clothes?
These pants
This skirt
This hoodie
This tiny shirt
Why were they discarded?
The heat.
The wet
The extra weight
The barked command from ICE
Why did they come?
The jobs
The future
To unite with family members already crossed
Fleeing violence and persecution
The “promise” of freedom
Where are they now?
Has the child been separated from their family?
Have they been deported?
Beginning in the 1970s, more than 100 people were killed running across Interstate 5 between the border and Camp Pendleton to avoid the Border Patrol. In 1990, Cal Trans sign designer John Hand created a caution sign. The image included a man running who bore the profile of Cesar Chavez followed by a woman firmly gripping the hand of a child.
The child’s flowing braids reflected Hand’s Indigenous Diné roots.
This Clothing was collected by volunteers in the San Diego borderlands: Otay Mountains, Playas de Tijuana and Jacumba.
Thank you
Teyana Viscarra and Norm Sands
Maria Teresa Fernandez
Xavier Vasquez
Bread & Salt Art Gallery
1955 Julian Ave, San Diego, CA 92113