The Border Fence

It is not pretty.
It is meant to contain and
to control problems.

~carliewired

This barrier between Mexico and the United States is not really one continuous wall (as yet) but a collection of walls/fences that stop and start along the southern boundaries of California, Arizona and into Texas. It is intended to control illegal activities between the two countries. There has been great concern about illegal immigration into the US and also drug crime crossing the borders. It was created by an act of the US government in 2006 during President George W. Bush's administration.

The 1, 951 miles of border encompasses a range of land forms and terrain. Some is urban, some is aquatic, some is desert. It has been said to hinder animal migrations. It bisects First Nations territories. There are concerns for environmental impacts it creates. There are many complaints about its construction. People say it creates huge hazards for those people wishing to enter the US illegally. In the past 12 years there has been some 5,000 deaths in the deserts of southern Arizona. Desperate people do desperate things.

In most locations, it sits 6 feet in the ground and 20 feet above ground. The Border Patrol, with cameras and sensors, monitors the fence line. The Republicans are calling for the fence to be completed as a double-layer fence which is estimated to be a cost of $4.1 billion US.

This is the view from the California, USA side of the border looking south to Los Algodones, Mexico.