A fence barrier separating Nogales, Arizona, from Nogales, Sonora, near the main downtown border crossing

The United States Mexico barrier is actually several separation barriers designed to prevent illegal immigration into the United States from the territory of adjacent Mexico along the U.S.-Mexico border. Primarily the fence has deterred illegal entries of Mexican nationals and other Latin Americans illegally entering the United States through Mexico, although in recent years other groups (particularly Asians of different nationalities) have also been using the porous Mexican border to secure access to the USA (the Border Patrol refers to those from other countries as "Other Than Mexican"). The barriers were built as part of three larger "Operations" to control illegal immigration, Operation Gatekeeper in California, Operation Hold-the-Line in Texas, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. The intention of these barriers is to force immigrants to cross the border through more difficult lands, with the assumption that this will deter migration. Some United States/Mexico border scholars have claimed that these operations are just a public relations ploy used to convince U.S. citizens that the border is "secure", while the economy benefits from the continuing flow of cheap labor across the border. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 798 KB) Picture of the US-Mexico Border, taken from Nogales, Arizona. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 798 KB) Picture of the US-Mexico Border, taken from Nogales, Arizona. ... Nogales, Santa Cruz Co. ... Nogales is a city in the north of the state of Sonora, Mexico. ... Separation barriers (separation walls, security fences) are constructed to prevent the movement of people across the barrier or to separate two populations. ... Illegal immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently, in violation of the law or without documents permitting an immigrant to settle in that country. ... The international border between Mexico and the United States runs a total of 3,141 km (1,951 miles) from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, defined by subtracting Europe from Eurasia. ... Border has several different, but related meanings: // Generic borders A border can consist of a margin around the edge of something, such as a lawn, garden, photograph, or sheet of paper. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Official languages English Only State Area 295,254 km² (6th)  - Land 294,312 km²  - Water 942 km² (0. ...

The 3140 km (1,951 mile) border between the United States and Mexico traverses a variety of terrains, including urban areas and deserts. The barrier is located in the urban sections of the border, the areas that have been the location of the greatest number of illegal crossings in the past. These urban areas include San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas. As a result of the success of the barrier, there has been a marked increase in the number of people trying to cross the Sonoran Desert and crossing over the Baboquivari Mountain in Arizona. Such migrants must cross 80 km (50 miles) of inhospitable terrain to reach the first road, which is located in the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. Look up urban in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation, less than 200 mm per year. ... City nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Government County San Diego Mayor vacant Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 372. ... Downtown El Paso, Texas, looking south into Mexico from the US side. ... Sonoran Desert wildlife Mountains in the Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the border between the United States and Mexico and covers large parts of the states of Arizona, California and Sonora. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Official languages English Only State Area 295,254 km² (6th)  - Land 294,312 km²  - Water 942 km² (0. ... Traditional basketmaking, 1916 The Tohono Oodham are a Native American tribe formerly known as the Papago who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert. ... In the United States an Indian reservation is land which is managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interiors Bureau of Indian Affairs. ...

U.S.-Mexico Border at the Pacific Ocean in San Ysidro, California. (Tire tracks from Border Patrol jeeps are visible on the beach.)

Between October 1, 2003, and April 30, 2004, 660,390 people were detained by the United States Border Patrol as they tried to cross the border illegally. Between 43 and 61 people have died trying to cross the Sonoran Desert during that same time period, a value three times that of the same period the previous year. In October 2004 the Border Patrol announced that 325 people had died crossing the entire border during the previous 12 months. Between 1998-2004, 1,954 persons are officially reported to have died along the US/Mexico border. ImageMetadata File history File links TJ_Border_Beach. ... ImageMetadata File history File links TJ_Border_Beach. ... View of U.S.-Mexico barrier (and Tijuana, Baja California beyond it) from San Ysidro, California. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... USBP Insignia The United States Border Patrol (USBP), a Federal police force, is the mobile uniformed law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a bureau of the Department of Homeland Security. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: October 2004 in sports Deaths in October • 29 HRH Princess Alice • 25 John Peel • 24 James Cardinal Hickey • 23 Robert Merrill • 19 Paul Nitze • 18 K. M. Veerappan • 16 Pierre Salinger • 10 Christopher Reeve • 9... Categories: Stub | U.S. Dept. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Immigration
• Immigration to the United States
• List of United States Immigration Acts
• Immigrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border