page_title: Mexico–United States barrier
section_title: Controversy
hierarchical_section_title: Mexico–United States barrier / Controversy
caption_attribution_description: Repair work begins on a 2 1/4 mile section of Border Fence in El Centro Sector near the Calexico West Port of Entry. Photos by Mani Albrecht U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs Visual Communications Division
context_page_description: The Mexico–United States barrier, also known as the border wall, is a series of vertical barriers along the Mexico–United States border intended to reduce illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico. The barrier is not a continuous structure, but a series of obstructions variously classified as "fences" or "walls".
  Between the physical barriers, security is provided by a "virtual fence" of sensors, cameras, and other surveillance equipment used to dispatch United States Border Patrol agents to suspected migrant crossings. In May 2011, the Department of Homeland Security stated that it had 649 miles of barriers in place. The total length of the continental border is 1,954 miles.
caption: Repair work on a section of border fencing in California in 2018
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "4000", "Image ImageLength": "2250", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image ImageDescription": "Repair work begins on a 2 1/4 mile section of Border Fence in El Centro Sector near the Calexico West Port of Entry.\n\nPhotos by Mani Albrecht\nU.S. Customs and Border Protection\nOffice of Public Affairs\nVisual Communications Division", "Image Make": "DJI", "Image Model": "FC550", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC (Macintosh)", "Image DateTime": "2018:04:04 16:18:39", "Image Artist": "Mani Albrecht", "Image ExifOffset": "532", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1166", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6632", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/3800", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "156", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2018:02:26 14:47:13", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2018:02:26 14:47:13", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "1486473/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2275007/1000000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "17/10", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "No flash function", "EXIF FocalLength": "15", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4000", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2250", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "0", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "30", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF LensMake": "UnKnown", "EXIF LensModel": "DJI MFT 15mm F1.7 ASPH"}