The length of the border between Mexico and the United States is 3,111 km (1,933 miles), and only 1,054 km have barriers demonstrating that it is a protected border. There are 7.2 million people on both sides of the border who have spent the last 12 years watching as the US builds new barriers, installs remote surveillance capabilities and increases the number of patrols and National Guard troops. The number of illegal border crossings, of course, has decreased significantly, however, completely preventing border crossings in unspecified places looks like an impossible task.
CALIFORNIA
The border between California and Mexico is the most organized and guarded. It is only 140 miles long, 105 of which are separated by pedestrian crossings and traffic barriers, and at the western end a high metal fence extends into the Pacific Ocean (between Tijuana and San Diego). This metal barrier even has doors that have previously been periodically closed, however, the last time this happened was last year.
To the east is a canyon called Smuggler's Gulch, which served as a main channel for smugglers for more than 100 years. Many migrants crossed the border right here, significantly outnumbering the patrol officers who did not have time to catch them, and the radio tracking equipment in the canyon did not work. It was here that racketeering by Mexican gangs flourished: or pay the «duty» for crossing the border, or getting robbed. Only in the early 2000s did the government allocate $60 million to strengthen this site, and it was necessary to move 2 million cubic meters of earth, which essentially leveled the canyon. If previously the depth of the canyon was about 245 meters, then in 2009 it was only 55. The Bush administration went against the demands of environmental organizations, since the canyon was home to endangered species such as the jaguar and the Sonoran goat.
Photographs show the canyon in 2003 and 2018.
Near the Otay Mesa border crossing, 8 prototypes of the so-called Trump Wall were built and tested to withstand climbers, bulldozers and punching equipment. Some of them are concrete, some are tubular metal, and it is likely that during the construction of the Trump wall, one or the other may be used for different areas. But they adhere to the basic principle: US security agents must be aware of the permitted attacks from behind the wall, therefore, from types they are either visible through, or equipped with special equipment to see behind the wall.
While much of California's southern border is closed with various barriers, two sections are still partially closed. The Otay mountain desert, which has a cliff more than a kilometer high and is infested with tarantulas, has a steel fence made of 4 mm thick rods for most of its length. The fence was built in 2009 and cost $57.7 million. And it is one of the most expensive fences on the border with Mexico. In this case, too, the Bush administration flouted environmental regulations. But there are quite a few holes and missing sections in this fence.
The Jacumba Desert Valley is also a vast and remote area with dramatic elevation changes. It is patrolled by mounted border guards. The crossing criteria here are quite critical, and many migrants die from hypothermia or, conversely, heat and dehydration before border guards even find them.
In general, in those areas where the «wall» well equipped, it consists of a fence, in some places double and even triple, from 3 to 5 meters high. The top of the fence is bent towards Mexico and is surrounded by barbed wire to deter climbers. In some places the fence is solid, made of metal sheets, preventing any contact on both sides.
Between the fences lies a strip of so-called «no man's land» (no man's land), which is patrolled in armored vehicles, illuminated by bright spotlights and monitored by video cameras.
Unlike other distant crossing points, the sister cities of Calexico and Mexicali are densely populated, inextricably linked, and located directly on the US-Mexico border. In fact, this is one city. The cities are separated by a tall metal fence, but thousands of Mexicalis cross the border into Calexico every day for work. Mexicali also experiences a large influx of American tourists passing through to Mexico or seeking cheaper medical services.
ARIZONA
How and California, Arizona are also almost completely blocked by various types of barriers. In particular, San Luis, Arizona is divided by a wall from San Luis Rio Colorado in Mexico, with heavily fortified barricades, including a three-layer fence in some places. How when with Calexico and Mexicali in California, these 2 cities are closely related to each other, population and economy, and function as one.
In much of the Sonoran Desert, which spans the southern border of Arizona, barriers consist only of short posts and light fencing that prevent vehicles from crossing, but people can easily step over.
Small barriers cross much of the Preteta National Wildlife Refuge and the Tohono O'Odham National Wildlife Refuge, both of which are known for their extreme desert conditions and, in recent years, have been known for their extreme desert conditions. a large number of migrant deaths. Many of them die due to exposure to high temperatures or dehydration in the dry, unbearably hot desert. On average, summer temperatures here are 38C, reaching 49C, with almost no shelter. Most of the bodies found in Arizona in 2018 were found near the Tohono O'Dam Wildlife Refuge. In the 1990s, it was quite common to meet groups of 20, 30 or even 40 migrants, but now it is common to cross alone or as a family. Most people crossing the border here are not Mexicans, but migrants from Central American countries with little knowledge of the risks of crossing here.
To the east of the desert plateau of Arizona are mountain cliffs called the Sky Islands, and the living conditions here are better than in the Sonoran Desert. At least for plants and living things. It is home to jaguars, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and bears. It was in this part of Arizona that the «wall» progresses at the fastest pace. However, given the large extent of the territory, these are unlikely to be massive structures.
Even further east, near the town of Naco, the «Trump Wall» in several areas it even separates some ranches. This is a 5-meter steel fence, which does not block all the paths used by migrants. However, the rancheros agree with Trump's policies, as they have been repeatedly robbed by migrants.