Foxnews.com
LOS ANGELES — Each year, thousands of illegal immigrants sneak across the border between Tijuana and San Ysidro, Calif.
A thin metal border fence helps separate the United States from Mexico and has helped stem the flow of immigrants but it's not enough. Now, the U.S. Border Patrol is trying to finish building a second fence but the effort is being blocked by the California Coastal Commission because of environmental concerns.
In 2001, 12 million illegal aliens were arrested on the U.S.-Mexico border. Today, almost 9,000 border agents patrol the divide -- a huge boost from the 3,400 that watched over the area in 1993.
After Congress enacted the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the government began building the 14-foot-tall second fence with 150-foot patrol roads on both sides and a third fence to further delineate the border security zone, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. The secondary fence, which tilts forward at the top, is made of a special wire mesh with holes too small for even an ice pick or screwdriver to fit through.
The main fence was rebuilt in the early 1990s using metal runway mats from the military, the Union-Tribune reported. It averages about 10 feet in height.
A nine-mile section of the new fence has already been built and although it doesn't stop everyone, it gives border agents enough time to catch most who try to sneak into the United States. The final three miles, which run right up to the Pacific Ocean, are currently wide open.
Posted by Suzanne at March 15, 2004