Crossing the US-Mexican border. US-Mexico Border: History and Contemporary Issues
Plan
Introduction
1 Geography
1.1 US states
1.2 States of Mexico
2 History of the border
3 Border security. Problems with illegal migration
Introduction
US state border
1. Geography
Left: Nogales, Arizona; right: Erroica Nogales, Sonora
El Paso (top) and Juarez (bottom), separated by the Rio Grande River. Satellite image.
From the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the border runs 2019 km along the fairway of the Rio Grande River to the cities of El Paso (Texas) and Juarez (Mexican state of Chihuahua). It then passes through the mountainous Chihuahuan Desert and the lifeless, sandy Sonoran Desert 858 km to the Colorado River. For 38 km the border runs north upstream of the river. Further 226 km to the Pacific coast - crossing the mountainous base of the Baja California peninsula. The coastline separates the metropolitan areas of San Diego (California) and Tijuana (Mexican state of Baja California).
The populations of the US counties and Mexican municipalities adjacent to the border exceed 12 million people. Most of them live in major cities, forming pairs on opposite sides of the border, the so-called twin cities. The largest of them:
· Brownsville, TX - Matamoros, Tamaulipas
· Laredo, Texas - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
· El Paso, Texas - Juarez
· Nogales, Arizona - Heroica Nogales, Sonora
· El Centro, California - Mexicali, Baja California
· San Isidro (suburb of San Diego) - Tijuana
States of the USA The following states have a border with Mexico: Texas New Mexico Arizona California States of Mexico
The following states share a border with the United States:
· Tamaulipas
· Nuevo Leon (total 12 km)
· Coahuila
Baja California
2. History of the border
The modern border between the two states was formed in stages. In 1845, the United States annexed Texas, which declared independence from Mexico in 1836. The border between Mexico and Texas was not established, and in fact it ran north of the Rio Grande. After the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, according to the Treaty of Guadalupo Hidalgo, the border with Texas was established along the Rio Grande fairway, and a vast territory known as Mexican cession(Mexican Session). Mexico received an indemnity of 15 million dollars. In 1853, the border west of the Rio Grande was moved further south. The so-called Gadsden Purchase cost the American treasury $10 million. After this, the border did not change, with the exception of several small disputes during the demarcation of the border along the Rio Grande (Rio Grande border disputes) in 1927-1970.
Map of Texas annexed by the States
Mexican Cession - red; Gadsden Purchase - Orange
3. Border security. Problems with illegal migration
Border beach in San Isidro. In the sand are traces of a US Border Patrol jeep.
In addition to legal crossings, the US-Mexico border also leads in the number of illegal crossings. More than one million people enter the United States illegally each year across the border with Mexico. Most of them are Mexicans, but many come from other Latin American countries, primarily Central (in the terminology of the US Border Patrol - “Other Than Mexicans” (OTM)). The U.S. Border Patrol complains of persistent underfunding and understaffing. On average there are about four employees per mile of border, but most of them work in areas of large population centers, while vast desert and mountain areas are lightly guarded. Fences have been erected in populated areas. Their construction was accompanied by hype in the press, but there are skepticism about their effectiveness. There are plans to build a fence and a 100-meter security strip along the entire border. This causes protests and opposition from various sides:
· The Mexican government is not interested in curbing emigration, since remittances from emigrants to their homeland amount to billions of dollars a year, and in addition, emigration reduces the unemployment rate in the country;
· Various Hispanic and human rights organizations in the United States speak of discrimination and increased tension;
· Environmental organizations also object;
· American agricultural companies are strongly opposed - according to experts from the University of California, Davis, about 45% of agricultural workers in the country are illegally working foreigners.
· Other sectors of the US economy benefit from illegal labor.
According to the US Border Patrol, for the period from October 1, 2003 to April 30, 2004, they detained 660,390 people illegally crossing the border. Due to the construction of barriers in populated areas, the number of people crossing the border into deserts has increased, sometimes resulting in death. According to the same service, during the period from 1998 to 2004, 1954 people died, of which 325 people died in 2004.
Of all the cities in Mexico, only Nuevo Laredo gave me real concern. Somewhere I read very cool stories about the fact that there, almost like in the notorious Ciudad Juarez, drug lords fight and cut each other’s heads. I arrived after midnight, and the idea of walking for the first time did not seem so attractive to me that I took a taxi for the second time that day, which usually happens to me extremely rarely. In fact, it was possible not to take a taxi, but to stay in a hotel near the bus station, and take a bus to the border in the morning, but then I would not have walked around the city center. The administrator of the Two Laredos hotel, located right at the border crossing, charged as much as 25 dollars for a room. It was impossible to bargain at two in the morning, and I took the most expensive room in the entire Mexican epic. When I entered the room, I simply could not help but laugh heartily, after a long and difficult day.
To be fair, although the room had not been renovated for a very long time, it had almost everything you needed: a shower, hot water, toilet, sockets, comfortable beds. Only there was no Internet. 
The United States of America is visible from the window. I wonder who lives in this huge hotel on the other side? There the dollar numbers are at least 100 each, but on this side this one will cost a maximum of 50.
At 8:40 I had to be at the bus station on the American side to leave for San Antonio. Although it was Sunday and there were no large queues expected at the border, just in case, I woke up at 6 am and went for a walk around the city, at the same time spending the remaining Mexican coins at the kiosk. The danger of the city on the Internet is somewhat exaggerated; at least, 24-hour shops operate quietly there (even without the typical Russian trade through bars), and music from a disco was playing under my windows all night.
The city center is dull, even Tijuana is more cheerful.
There are suspiciously many empty houses here, with only bare walls.
Bar for Putin's meeting with Poroshenko.
Only the central square has been landscaped.
Crossing the Mexico-US border along the Rio Grande River passed without much incident. The Americans charged me 13.5 dollars - 6 for entering the country (at the land border they still issue migration cards, which were canceled at airports a year and a half ago) and another 7.5 fee for two bottles of tequila. In principle, luggage was not scanned, i.e. I could have become a smuggler, but I didn’t risk playing tricks with the American customs officers.
The border terminal is very colorful, the whole room is filled with Mexicans, many sleep on the floor, spread out bedding and covered with blankets. Apparently, these are those who are not allowed into America.
The border guard girl spoke to me in Spanish and was surprised when I said that English was better.
Beyond the border terminal was a completely different country. Although the language of the inscriptions has not changed much, it is immediately clear that you are in America.
I can’t help but express my respect for a country that, over such a vast territory from Maine to San Diego and from Alaska to Miami, was able to put the same street signs everywhere.
There are also much fewer wires here.
I haven’t been to the deepest outback of the USA; probably, Laredo, of all the cities I’ve seen, most closely fits the definition of the asshole of the world. However, here, too, in the central square, there is a map of the historical center for tourists.
There are a couple of rich 20s buildings here.
Post office, court and customs.
And a monument to all soldiers of different wars - from the Second World War...
Before Vietnam
If you ask me to show the atmosphere of the United States with one photo, I would probably choose this one, taken on the way out of Laredo. The route and the classic American “Wrong way” sign, which hangs everywhere where you shouldn’t turn, in case someone does turn. Well, McDonald’s, my dear, where would we be without it.
Many people said that they were going to cross the Mexican border, but for some reason these people disappeared and no one reported how they did it. A lot of subscribers are interested in how to cross the border between Mexico and the USA. Crossing the Mexican border is a very popular topic.
This material will be useful to those who are planning to cross the Mexican border.
Alexey Chelishchev: Tell us how you crossed the Mexican border with the United States. A lot of people asked!
Incognito: I will be happy to share this information. I couldn't get a visa to the USA. Found a way through Mexico. Getting a visa there will not be a problem. It costs $38 thirty-eight dollars.
Many people say it is dangerous. Yes. In some way, it's dangerous. But, thank God, everything worked out.
Where to go after arriving in Mexico to cross the Mexican border?
I flew to Mexico City. That same evening I took a ticket to Tijuana. There were absolutely no obstacles. Domestic flight arrived in Tijuana. The inspections went without problems. Everyone who flies into Tijuana is searched. There is an agreement between Mexico and the United States that everyone who comes to border cities is searched and asked about the purpose of the visit. They especially look at Russian speakers from the former Soviet Union.
What to do in a border town in Mexico?
It is very important how a person is dressed. A white shirt and trousers command respect. The Mexicans are watching this. They handle this with care and caution. The Mexican customs service got to the bottom of those guys who were wearing regular jeans. There were many questions and problems: “Why are you flying?”, “Where are you flying.” They replied that they were flying to Tijuana to relax. But this did not convince the Mexican border guards of anything. Mexico has a lot more convenient places for a holiday than Tijuana. Everyone understands why they go there. I said I was traveling on business. I had a small folder with documents with me. He said that there is work in the DHL offices. The border guards answered: “No problem, sir, come through.”
In the evening of the day of arrival, I took a taxi pre-booked online for $18-20. I went to the hotel, which I had also booked in advance. It is located right on the border - ten minutes away. Inexpensive hotel - thirty-five dollars, $35 per night. I decided to rest, wash and go to the border the next day.
I talked to the taxi driver. He replied that there were no problems and for $10-20 dollars he would take me to the border.
Crossing the Mexican border in Tijuana?
There were two entrances to the border. One is old. Cars from and to the USA travel through it. There are 18-20 lanes and a pedestrian passage.
I approached the American border guard and said that I was asking for political asylum. He very kindly told me that it was not here. I have to go to the new checkpoint. It was about fifteen minutes on foot. Any Mexican will show you where to go.
The checkpoint was full of people. This alarmed me. How to get through? Mexican border guards are standing. They search everyone who enters. It seemed to me from the outside that they would stop me. I watched for an hour or two. The Americans walked by in shorts with a confident look. Nobody detained them. I took my things and left. Nobody stopped me. The corridor is quite long. Walk for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Reached the American side. He put on a serious, confident look. And the American border guards did not pay attention to me. I walked past them.
First meeting with American border guards
Next was passport control. I show them my passport. They tell me: “Sorry, you don’t have a visa. How did you get here? I was taken outside the US border. I said that I was asking for political asylum. They answer that we have a lot of people here. Wait. We are not driving you away. Just wait outside the US border. It was about ten or eleven in the evening. I stood until seven or eight in the morning. There was a small group of Mexican women next to me. At about eight in the morning the officers came out to us. They asked: “Who is asking for asylum? Come on in." A certain number of people are allowed in. Those with families immediately separate them. Women stay with children. Fathers with boys, with sons - they are separate. A child under 14 years of age remains with his mother, regardless of gender.
Conducted a personal search. No one inspected the luggage. We checked the documents and began the full processing. They took me to their small border isolation center. The men are kept separately. Women with children - separately.
By the way, women with children are not kept for more than four days. They are interviewed and the mothers and children are released into the custody of their sponsors. The men continue to sit.
Conditions of detention in an isolation center in Tijuana after crossing the Mexican border
It is very cold in this isolation center. There are up to forty to fifty people in one room. People are lying on the floor. This must be endured. Not everyone was ready for this. Some broke down. Most of those who went for it knew about such conditions. I knew too, but I still wasn’t prepared for the conditions to be so harsh.
Three days have passed. The border guard is calling me. He asks about the reasons that prompted him to take such a step. I told my whole story briefly. The officer writes everything down and puts it in a file cabinet. Takes fingerprints. Then they are sent back to the cell.
They feed three times a day. The rooms are completely closed. There are no windows. You don't know what time it is. You focus only on feedings. At 7-00, at 13-00 and at 18-00. Phones, watches, chains, belts, all piercing and cutting objects are taken away. Everything is described, put in a suitcase and deposited. The toilet is in the same room.
The flow of refugees into the migration prison did not stop
Everyone who was there, they all strived for one goal - political asylum. Of course there were emotional people, but everyone held on. Those who showed aggression were taken away in an unknown direction. Presumably back over the fence to Mexico.
There was a constant distribution of people. Some were taken away, others arrived. The flow did not stop. The next point was the immigration camp. But that's just what it's called. It's actually an immigration prison. Before being sent to prison, they are still being held somewhere. You are going through a kind of quarantine. They look at you, test your health, how you behave psychologically.
In another center, the guys stay for seven days and nine days. I'm lucky. When I first arrived there, I spent the night and met guys from Georgia and Russia. Besides them there were Chinese, Iranians, Somalis, Africans, and Haitians. There were guys from everywhere.
We met. It was so lucky that there were three Russian speakers at this distribution point. They sent us from California to Texas. We were later told that this was done because of the large influx of emigrants, in particular Haitians and Mexicans. Immigration jails were full. We were placed in a regular American prison, where we were given an orange uniform and were allowed out into the yard once a day. We were fed three times a day. There was roll call four to five times a day. It was the most ordinary prison for ordinary criminals.
Conditions of detention in an immigration (deportation) prison in Texas
The attitude of the law enforcement officers was very high level. They were polite. If something was needed they would say, “Sir, please go there. Come here." The very fact of being in prison is unpleasant. Moreover, when they were transporting us, they put handcuffs on our legs, our arms, and chains between them. Shackles like in the movies. Many simply did not believe it until they experienced it for themselves.
They said that they had never been to a police station in their lives, but then they came to the United States to ask for political asylum, and they were put in chains. The men cried and broke down. The condition of some was terrible.
Previously, people were held in immigration jail for a month. Now - at least two months, in special cases - one and a half months.
Of the thousand people who were held in this immigration prison, only seven were Russian speakers. Four are from Ukraine, one from Russia, one from Georgia and one from Central Asia. Everyone stuck together because Africans have their own language. Haitians also have their own language, but they all speak two or three languages: English, French, Spanish - this is very interesting.
Everyone tried to live in harmony, because any violation was recorded, suppressed, and the person was deported simply without any discussion.
There was a case where one Ecuadorian tried to hang himself. He was isolated in a transparent room. He sat as if in an aquarium. They didn't give anything. Lasted for a day hands tied and then deported. They stop any crime and deport you without any fuss.
The food was ok for my taste. The Africans said that this is not food. The guys from the former Soviet Union didn't complain at all.
Interview for an asylum in an immigration (deportation) prison
After three weeks in this prison, an asylum interview took place. During this interview, they look at how reliable your story is and how credible you are. Some were not believed. They remained there in prison.
We told our story without supporting it with documents. It was just a matter of telling the story. A translator was provided. They take you into solitary confinement and make you more comfortable. The interview is scheduled over the phone: on the one hand, an interpreter, on the other, an immigration officer. The entire interview was over the phone. My interview lasted an hour and a half. Others have 15-20 fifteen - twenty minutes, two hours, three hours. It depends on the officers.
The results of the interview are not announced immediately. Two weeks later the document arrives. An ICE officer brings it. ICE officers visited us periodically. They asked us to contact them if any needs arose.
Release from immigration (deportation) prison on bail
They gave me a positive answer. After that, you receive a password: early release for money. Many people hope that he will be released for his wonderful story. No. There were so many thousands of people - everyone came out only for money. The minimum threshold is one and a half thousand $1,500 dollars. Maximum - $30,000 thirty thousand. The amount apparently depends on the country of origin. All Latinos were given one and a half thousand. The Chinese and all of us were given seven thousand $7,000. And those who jump over the fence, they are given thirty thousand $30,000.
That is, there were people there who did not want to cross the border. They jumped over the fence and stood. After 5-10 minutes, a patrol drove up to them and immediately, even without handcuffs, sent them to the immigration center.
For those who are planning to go this route, I want to say that they will have an article on violating the state border and their amount of early release will be much higher - up to $30,000, thirty thousand dollars.
This amount is a deposit in case the person commits any violations within the United States. The lawyer explained to us that if a person behaves decently and does not violate anything, then this money will be returned in any case. Even if you are denied political asylum, you will still get the money back. If you receive an asylum, you also receive the deposit money back.
Everyone is given contact information for free immigration lawyers. But, as a rule, no one can reach them by phone.
Do I need an immigration lawyer to cross the Mexican border?
We first looked for lawyers. Lawyers' prices range from $1,100 to $7,000 just to provide a service and get you out of this immigration center.
There were two ways to pay the bail amount. First: you send them in advance and the lawyer puts them in a safe deposit box. After you give the go-ahead, they are written off. Second: through friends with whom lawyers contact and request a certain amount.
When I walked across the Mexican border to the United States, I had $300, three hundred dollars with me. I was warned that everything was taken away: money, phones, watches. Leave everything at home. No, in fact, nothing was taken. They even took the money that was in their pocket for safekeeping. And when I was in the detension center, this money was put into my account and I could use it. Once a week a store “came” to us, where we could buy everything from chewing gum to a radio. True, everything in this store is much more expensive than in the wild.
There was no access to the Internet. Even those who came from outside handed over their phones. But there was an internal telephone on the balance of which you could deposit your money. Using this phone one could keep in touch with a lawyer, friends, and so on.
Is it possible to do without a sponsor when crossing the Mexican border?
Many people decide to cross the Mexican border without preparation, without prior consultation with a lawyer, without the necessary sum of money. But this is absolutely the wrong way.
You need a lawyer, but in extreme cases you can do without one. But there must be a sponsor. Even if you have a lawyer, but no sponsor, you will be kept in prison until the end until you find a sponsor. Churches, organizations, friends, anyone. The sponsor must not provide financial support. This could be a person who has at least a Green Card, permanent job and a document confirming that he rents or owns the property. He needs to provide these documents to USCIS. When they will be released, there will be an address where the emigrant can go.
The Role of an Immigration Lawyer
The lawyer plays the role of moral support. If I say that it is not needed, I will be lying. If I say that it is needed, I’m not one hundred percent sure. The only time you can't do without him is when you need him to send you an I-28 form that you have a lawyer. Although I met guys who did not have a lawyer. But there must always be a sponsor!
How does an asylum interview work in an immigration (deportation) prison?
An interview with an asylum officer can take place with or without a lawyer. This interview is different from regular topics that it takes place over the phone and the officer does not see you and cannot fully assess your behavior. You sit in a cell, half naked, relaxed, and answer the translator’s questions.
At the Detendsion center we sat in a cell with 48 people. It was better than being alone or alone. There were different cells for eight, sixteen and forty-eight people. Were different people, but no one argued with anyone. There were Muslims and Voodoo, and everyone was friends.
After completing the interview, the officer gave me notice that I was eligible for early release with money. As soon as my friends in the US paid for me, not a minute passed. They immediately begin to release. This happens because they are afraid that something will happen to an essentially free person who has already paid for his freedom. In this case, you can sue a lot of money.
As soon as the money arrives, an officer arrives. They exchange your robe for clothes. By the way, at first we wore orange overalls, like criminals. And then they replaced the orange one with blue.
The difference between staying in immigration prisons in California and Texas
Those who are imprisoned in California are given GPS sensors upon release. This is not the case in Texas. When you go out, the officer tells you: “Be careful. Don't break the laws. Happily! You can be here for a year."
When you arrive at a place, it’s different for everyone. Those who were in California must go to the immigration office once every two weeks to report. Nobody forced us from the Texas immigration prison to come anywhere.
In order not to go to prison after crossing the Mexican border, the first father with one child under 14 years of age needs to pass. They do not stay with children for more than four days. Then after that, five to six days later, his spouse crosses the border with their second child. She will also not be kept for more than four days.
Is it possible to do without immigration court?
Alexey Chelishchev: is it true that you will now have to undergo another interview, and what happened in prison was an interview to show your fear of persecution?
Incognito: now we will have a trial. There is no way around it without a trial. The court will decide whether to grant you political asylum or deny it. However, now that we have been two months into immigration detention, we are being told to apply for political asylum as usual via Form I-589. And there they already know whether to assign you a trial or not.
Alexey Chelishchev: do you recommend that people who are not given a visa should use your method of crossing the Mexican border?
Incognito: If there is persecution in your home country and if there are relatives in the US with whom you want to live, then you need to go and do it with confidence.
If this is a simple adventure, then it will work out: 50/50.
You should not cross the border illegally.
All the guys from former USSR who passed along with me asked for political asylum. But everyone who was sitting with us, no one had any idea that after crossing the border, events would develop in the same way. Everyone's story develops differently. I waited eight hours, others waited two weeks. Those who lack patience jump over. But they already have their own path. All Iranians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis jumped over. All of us who passed legally came out, but these guys are all sitting.
How long will you have to sit in immigration (deportation) prison?
Alexey Chelishchev: how much time passed from the moment you entered the checkpoint until you were released?
Incognito: exactly two months.
Alexey Chelishchev: did you lose weight there?
Incognito: they don’t let you lose weight. They weigh you on the first day and don’t let you lose weight. All this time we ate, slept and did nothing else. We asked for time for some physical exercise, but we were refused so that nothing would happen to us.
There were books in Spanish and English languages. There was someone to talk to. We talked and exchanged experiences.
An hour a day was allotted for a walk.
Some people are lucky. Everything went very quickly for them and they only stayed for a month. And we are a month longer and we got two months.
The only thing is that one of those who went to prison with us is still in prison. He is from Russia. He's been sitting for four months now. Apparently he is being checked.
I want to warn everyone in Tijuana to be careful. Walk only during daylight hours. At night you are in a hotel. Get around by taxi. If something happens, approach the police.
With countries Central America I met in geography lessons. Mexico interested me the most. It seems to separate two worlds: the world of developed North American countries and the world of former colonies.
Which country has the longest border with Mexico?
As I said, Mexico has an interesting geographical and political situation. The entire northern border is connected to the United States, and its length is approximately three thousand kilometers. It is considered the first most intersecting in the world.
The American government allocates a huge amount of money to protect the border with Mexico, because illegal migrants from all over Latin America are trying to penetrate through this country. better world" One of the ways to protect against immigration was to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. The media even nicknamed it the “Great Wall of America.” It occupies only a third of the entire border.
All the measures taken have not stopped the flow of people from Mexico. Many Mexicans try to enter the United States through the desert or mountains, which are lightly guarded.
Who else does Mexico border with?
In addition to the United States, Mexico also borders two countries: Belize and Guatemala.
The border with Belize is the shortest. It is only a few hundred kilometers. The situation on the borders with this country is quite calm and there is no uncontrolled migration.
Every year, a huge number of Guatemalan migrants try to enter the United States through Mexico. According to statistics, border forces catch about thirty thousand Guatemalans a year. This is due to the low standard of living in the country and the devastation due to the recent civil war.
What seas wash the shores of Mexico
Mexico is washed by the largest ocean in the world. The length of the border with the Pacific Ocean is about nine thousand kilometers. Mexico produces in the ocean:
- oil;
- fish;
- gold;
- tin.
Also, the Pacific coast attracts tourists from many parts of the world.
The eastern shores are washed by the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Through the seas you can reach island countries such as Cuba and Jamaica.
This report is available in high definition
The border between the United States and Mexico stretches 3,169 km, crossing deserts, rivers and cities from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Each year, 350 million people cross the border legally and another 500,000 enter the United States illegally. The border is guarded by concrete and steel fences, infrared cameras, sensors, drones and nearly 20,000 American border guards.
Today we will find out what is happening on the US-Mexico border and what it looks like.
A large influx of Mexican migrants wishing to enter the United States and unable to cross the border legally are settling in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo: Deported migrants climb over a fence at the US-Mexico border in preparation for the 6th annual Migrant March in Tijuana, organized to raise awareness of migration issues, February 2, 2011. (Photo by AP Photo | Guillermo Arias):
Right - Mexico, left - USA, San Ysidro, California, February 17, 2012. (Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Josh Denmark):
US border guards near San Diego, California, March 26, 2013. (Reuters Photo | Mike Blake):
On the US-Mexico border. On the left - Tijuana - a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest in the state of Baja California and the westernmost in the whole Latin America, ahead is the Pacific Ocean. February 17, 2012. (Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Josh Denmark):
The US-Mexico border extends into the Pacific Ocean in Tijuana, Mexico, September 22, 2012. (Photo by AP Photo | Dario Lopez-Mills):
One of the ways to deliver drugs to the United States is to dig an underground tunnel. This tunnel leads from Mexico to California. 14 tons of marijuana were seized here, November 16, 2011. (Reuters Photo | Jorge Duenes):
They did not have time to dig this tunnel to the end and it was discovered. At the US-Mexico border, December 6, 2012. (Reuters Photo | Jorge Duenes):
On the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico on September 19, 2009. Some of the 500,000 who enter the United States illegally wait at the fence for American border guards to pass. (Reuters Photo | Jorge Duenes):
American drone MQ-9 Predator B, patrolling the border 12 hours a day at an altitude of about 5,800 meters. Drones search for smugglers and illegal migrants, March 7, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
Dust from a US patrol rushing along the US-Mexico border 90 km from San Diego, July 30, 200. (Photo by David McNew | Getty Images):
The US-Mexico border fence near Nogales, Arizona, March 8, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
The ubiquitous Google Street View rushes along the Mexico-US border. By the way, climbing over such a fence should not be difficult.
Also read the article "". (Photo © Google, Inc.):
Along the border, from Mexico, 276 such monuments were delivered. All of them were built in the 1890s. (Photo © Google, Inc.):
US border guard in La Jolla, Texas, April 10, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
An illegal immigrant is apprehended along a section of the border in Texas, April 11, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
At the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona, March 8, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
Unsuccessful attempt to illegally cross the border near the city of Yuma, Arizona, October 31, 2012. The calculation of the length of the ramps was incorrect, the angle was too sharp and the car got stuck. The height of the fence here is 4.27 m. (Photo by AP Photo | U.S. Customs and Border Protection):
A simple fence on the US-Mexico border that makes you want to climb over it. Area of the Organ Cactus National Park. Also read the article "". (Photo © Google, Inc.):
On the border of the United States (left) and Mexico (right). Volleyball game, April 14, 2007. (Reuters Photo | Jeff Topping):
In many places, the US-Mexico border, in the form of fences and guarded roads, simply ends, only to begin again a few kilometers later. This can be seen very clearly from the air, for example in southeastern Arizona, where the border road ends on a hillside. (© Google, Inc.):
Border area near Nogales, Arizona, July 6, 2012. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker | Getty Images):
Drugs are transported from Mexico to the United States in such volumes that it is impossible to do without transport. Border guards caught a buggy with a trailer full of marijuana (about 100 kg). As the border guards approached, the driver abandoned the car and disappeared. (Reuters Photo | U.S. Customs and Border Protection):
Looking for better life. Illegal immigrants cross the border near Nogales, Arizona, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo | Jae C. Hong):
US-Mexico border, Arizona, November 10, 2010. Some live just a few meters from someone else's territory. (Reuters Photo | Eric Thayer):
On the left is a desert area near the American city of Yuma, Arizona, on the right is the town of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. (© Google, Inc.):
The zigzag Amistad Reservoir on the Rio Grande River, part of the border. (© Google, Inc.):
Here are illegal immigrants trying to cross the Rio Grande River towards Texas on April 11, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
Migrants ride on top of a train heading towards the US-Mexico border on April 29, 2013. By the way, migrants are often targeted by criminal gangs who kidnap them for ransom. Also read the article "". (AP Photo | Eduardo Verdugo):
An official checkpoint linking Ciudad Juarez in Mexico (below) with the US city of El Paso in Texas, February 16, 2010. (Photo by AP Photo | Alexandre Meneghini):
Separated. A woman communicates with her husband through a fence at the border, July 28, 2010. Most likely, one of them managed to cross the border, the other did not. (AP Photo | Jae C. Hong):
A seized car full of marijuana for the American market. State of Texas, April 11, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
A drug dealer caught crossing the border. Perhaps from that same detained car. State of Texas, April 11, 2013. (Photo by John Moore | Getty Images):
Border Patrol agents patrol their station on the outskirts of San Diego, California, July 1, 2010. The photo was taken with a long exposure. (Reuters Photo | Jorge Duenes):
