Mexico–United States border

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The border between Mexico and the United States spans four U.S. states, six Mexican states, and has over twenty commercial railroad crossings.

Border counties in the United States

The Mexico–United States border is the international border between Mexico and the United States. It runs from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major urban areas to inhospitable deserts. From the Gulf of Mexico it follows the course of the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) to the border crossing at El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; westward from that binational conurbation it crosses vast tracts of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Desert, the Colorado River Delta, westward to the binational conurbation of San Diego and Tijuana before reaching the Pacific Ocean.

The border's total length is 3,169 km (1,969 miles), according to figures given by the International Boundary and Water Commission.^[1] It is the most frequently crossed international border in the world, with about 250 million legal crossings every year.^[2]

[edit] Geography

San Diego together with Tijuana create the bi-national San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area.

On the left: Nogales, Arizona; on the right, Nogales, Sonora

Border Patrol patrolling the Rio Grande in an airboat in Laredo, Texas

The nearly 2000 mile (3,138 km or 1,950 miles) international border follows the middle of the Rio Grande — according to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between the two nations, "along the deepest channel" — from its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico a distance of 2,019 km (1,254 miles) to a point just upstream of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. It then follows an alignment westward overland and marked by monuments a distance of 858 km (533 miles) to the Colorado River, during which it reaches its highest elevation at the intersection with the Continental Divide. Thence it follows the middle of that river northward a distance of 38 km (24 miles), and then it again follows an alignment westward overland and marked by monuments a distance of 226 km (141 miles) to the Pacific Ocean.

The region along the boundary is characterized by deserts, rugged mountains, abundant sunshine, and two major rivers — the Colorado and the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) — which provide life-giving waters to the largely arid but fertile lands along the rivers in both countries.

The U.S. states along the border, from west to east, are:

California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

The Mexican states are:

Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.

In the United States, Texas has the longest stretch of the border of any State, while California has the shortest. In Mexico, Chihuahua has the longest border, while Nuevo León has the shortest.

From west to east, the border city twinnings and border crossings include the following:

• San Diego, California (San Ysidro) – Tijuana, Baja California (San Diego-Tijuana Metro.)
• Otay Mesa, California – Tijuana, Baja California
• Tecate, California – Tecate, Baja California
• Calexico, California – Mexicali, Baja California
• Calexico, California (Eastern border checkpoint) – Mexicali, Baja California
• Andrade, California – Los Algodones, Baja California
• San Luis, Arizona – San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora
• Lukeville, Arizona – Sonoita, Sonora
• Sasabe, Arizona – Altar, Sonora
• Nogales, Arizona – Nogales, Sonora
• Naco, Arizona – Naco, Sonora
• Douglas, Arizona – Agua Prieta, Sonora
• Antelope Wells, New Mexico – El Berrendo, Chihuahua
• Columbus, New Mexico – Puerto Palomas, Chihuahua
• Santa Teresa, New Mexico – San Jerónimo, Chihuahua
• El Paso, Texas – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
• Fabens, Texas – Práxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua
• Presidio, Texas – Ojinaga, Chihuahua
• Heath Canyon, Texas – La Linda, Coahuila (closed)
• Del Rio, Texas – Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila
• Eagle Pass, Texas – Piedras Negras, Coahuila
• Laredo, Texas – Colombia, Nuevo León
• Laredo, Texas – Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
• Falcon Heights, Texas – Presa Falcón, Tamaulipas
• Roma, Texas – Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas
• Rio Grande City, Texas – Ciudad Camargo, Tamaulipas
• Mission, Texas – Reynosa, Tamaulipas (future)
• Hidalgo, Texas – Reynosa, Tamaulipas
• Pharr, Texas – Reynosa, Tamaulipas
• Progreso Lakes, Texas – Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas
• Los Indios, Texas – Matamoros, Tamaulipas
• Brownsville, Texas – Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

The total population of the borderlands — defined as those counties and municipios lining the border on either side — stands at some 12 million people.

[edit] History

El Paso (top) and Ciudad Juárez (bottom) seen from earth orbit; the Rio Grande is the thin line separating the two cities through the middle of the photograph. El Paso and Juarez make up the largest international metroplex.

With the exception of a small number of minor Rio Grande border disputes, since settled, the current course of the border was finalized by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the 1853 Gadsden Purchase. Whether the border between Mexico and the breakaway Republic of Texas followed the Rio Grande or the Nueces River further north was an issue never settled during the existence of that Republic, and the uncertainty was one of the direct causes of the 1846−48 Mexican–American War. An earlier agreement, signed during the Mexican War of Independence by the United States and Imperial Spain, was the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty, which defined the border between the republic and the colonial empire following the Louisiana Purchase of 1804.

For a detailed history of water-related agreements along the border since the signing of the 1848 Treaty, see International Boundary and Water Commission

[edit] Security issues

Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California.

To the right lies Tijuana, and on the left is San Diego. The building in the foreground on the San Diego side is a sewage treatment plant.

The U.S.–Mexico border has the highest number of both legal and illegal crossings of any land border in the world. A large percentage of the border is guarded by large numbers of patrolling agents of the U.S. federal government.

There are an estimated half a million illegal entries into the United States each year.^[3] Border Patrol activity is concentrated around big border cities such as San Diego and El Paso which do have extensive border fencing. This means that the flow of illegal immigrants is diverted into rural mountainous and desert areas, leading to several hundred migrant deaths along the Mexico-U.S. border of those attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico without authorization from the Federal government of the United States.^[4]

For a period of time in the 1990s, United States Army personnel were stationed along the U.S.-Mexico border to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. These military units brought their specialized equipment such as FLIR (forward looking infrared) devices and helicopters. In conjunction with the United States Border Patrol, they would deploy along the border and, for a brief time, there would be no traffic across that border which was actively watched by "coyotes" paid to assist border crossers. The smugglers and the alien traffickers simply ceased operations over the one hundred mile sections of the border sealed at a time. It was very effective but temporary as the illegal traffic resumed as soon as the military withdrew.^[5] After the September 11 attacks the United States looked at the feasibility of placing soldiers along the U.S.-Mexico border as a security measure, but made no mention of the Canada – United States border. Some believe the whole U.S.-Mexico border could be sealed with as few as 100 helicopters equipped with FLIR scopes, and a few hundred men equipped with state of the art sensors, scopes, and other electronics.^[5] Opposition says this is a violation of Posse Comitatus although the army patrolled the border for more than 46 years after the passage of the Posse Comitatus act.^[5] Others believe that the border could never be completely closed, but that the United States could possibly put a serious dent in illegal cross border traffic with a more robust military presence and a larger, more pro-active Border Patrol.

Beach in Tijuana at the border.

Picture of the border between Nogales, Arizona, on the left, and Nogales, Sonora, on the right.

The US-Mexico border fence near San Diego, California. The Secure Fence Act of 2007 authorises the construction of 700 additional miles of the double chain link and barbed wire fences with light and infrared camera poles.

Portion of border near Jacumba, California

Border for pedestrians in Tijuana

Each state in the United States has a National Guard organization that could, in principle, be placed on the border at a state governor's discretion to assist with border security; many states also have a backup to the National Guard called the State Defense Force that could, in an emergency, also be activated for this purpose. However, few governors have done this. Many governors fear a backlash from local businesses and ever increasing communities of Mexicans. Arizona and New Mexico have currently declared the counties that border Mexico to be under serious duress caused by uncontrolled illegal migration, thereby enabling governors to deploy National Guardsmen to the international border. However, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has opposed some measures intended to reduce illegal immigration through enforcement and proposed a bill calling for earned legalization (which many call amnesty) in the Senate. Texas governor Rick Perry has called for the deployment of national guardsmen to watch certain high-traffic spots of the Texas/Mexico border, partly as a response to an incident in 2006 where U.S. officers involved in a pursuit in western Texas lost suspected drug smugglers when their 4x4 vehicle crossed the Rio Grande and was met by several men armed with assault rifles and dressed in Mexican military uniforms. In May 2006, President Bush announced a plan whereby up to 6,000 National Guardsmen would help build facilities on the border to assist the Border Patrol with tactical and technical measures but not enforcement duties. There has been some resistance: in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger initially denied Bush's request to deploy 3,000 National Guard troops to the California-Baja California border.^[6] Later Schwarzenegger changed his mind after being reassured of reimbursement and replacement if they are needed elsewhere and deployed over 1600 California National Guard troops to the border.

Attempts to complete the construction of the United States–Mexico barrier have been challenged by the Mexican government, illegal immigrants living in the United States, and various U.S.-based Chicano organizations. About 45% of all agricultural laborers in the United States are undocumented immigrants, according to migration experts at the University of California, Davis. According to proponents of open border policies, agricultural work is one of the many types of work that illegal immigrants fill that could not be easily filled by United States citizens. Opponents counter that U.S. citizens would gladly take these jobs if offered decent wages (see illegal immigration to the United States). However, the estimates are vague at best, showing only how many apprehensions were made by U.S. immigration authorities and not showing how many people actually attempted to cross the border.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2005, the United States House of Representatives voted to build a separation barrier along parts of the border. A companion vote in the United States Senate on May 17, 2006 included a plan to blockade 860 miles (1384 km) of the border with vehicle barriers and triple-layer fencing. Although those bills died in committee, eventually the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was passed providing for the construction of 700 miles (1,100 km) of high-security fencing. Proponents hope that barriers of various types running the length of the border will reduce illegal drug smuggling and illegal immigration drastically.

According to Dr. Douglas Massey of Princeton University (Smoke and Mirrors: U.S. Immigration Policy in the Age of Globalization, Russel Sage, 2001) and other experts, the efforts to curtail illegal immigration by means of security has done nothing but redirect the migration flows into the most desolate and desert areas of the border, thus increasing the mortality rate of illegal immigrants. Furthermore, the security measures prevent the migrants from reentering Mexico and then returning, as they had done in the past. Instead, they remain in the U.S. for longer periods of time and eventually bring their families with them. President Bush has presented an initiative to reinstate a Guest worker program or expand the H-2B program to fill the perceived needs of labor for some areas of the U.S. and, at the same time, has pushed to strengthen the security measures at the border to stop suspected illegal immigrants, terrorists, and narcotics dealers from entering the U.S.

[edit] Border incursions

In the fiscal year of 2006, there have been twenty-nine confirmed border incursions by Mexican government officials, of which seventeen have been by armed individuals. Since 1996 there have been 253 incursions by Mexican government officials.^{[7] [8] [9]} The Washington Times has reported that on Sunday, August 3, 2008, Mexican Military personnel who crossed into Arizona from Mexico encountered a U.S. Border Patrol agent, whom they held at gunpoint. The soldiers later returned to Mexico, as backup Border Patrol agents came to investigate.^{[10] [11]}

[edit] Cost to local governments

In a new study conducted by the University of Arizona, together with San Diego State University, it showed that due to law enforcement and criminal prosecution cost relating to illegal immigrants their costs increased 39% within the border counties of Arizona. This study was commissioned by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition.^[12]

[edit] Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

Main article: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

In late 2006, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a rule regarding new identification requirements for U.S. citizens and international travelers entering the U.S. Implemented on January 23, 2007, this final rule and first phase of the WHTI specifies three forms of identification — one of which is required in order to enter the US by air: a valid passport, a NEXUS Air card, or a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document (MMD).^[13][14][15]

[edit] Animals

When animals are imported from one country to another, there is the possibility that diseases and parasites can move with them. For this reason, most countries impose animal health regulations on the importation of animals. Most animals imported to the United States must be accompanied by:

• Import permits obtained in advance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
• Health certification papers from the country of origin.

Veterinary inspections are required, and are available only at designated ports;^[16] advance contact with port veterinarians is recommended.^[17] Animals crossing the United States-Mexico border may have a country of origin other than the country where they present for inspection. Such animals include those from the U.S. that cross to Mexico and return, and animals from other countries that travel overland through Mexico or the U.S. before crossing the border.

[edit] Horses and Cattle

[edit] Crossing from Mexico to the United States

APHIS imposes precautions to keep out several equine diseases,^[18] including glanders, dourine, equine infectious anemia (EIA), equine piroplasmosis (EP), venezuelan equine encephalatis (VEE), and contagious equine metritis (CEM). APHIS also checks horses to prevent the introduction of ticks and other parasites. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley, U. S. Department of Agriculture inspectors look for horses and livestock that stray across the border carrying ticks. These animals are often called wetstock, and the inspectors are referred to as tickriders.^[19]

Per APHIS,^[18] horses originating from Canada can enter the United States with a Canadian government veterinary health certificate and a negative test for EIA. Horses from Mexico must have a health certificate; pass negative tests for EIA, dourine, glanders, and EP at a USDA import center; and undergo precautionary treatments for external parasites at the port of entry. Horses from other Western Hemisphere countries must have the same tests as those from Mexico and, except for horses from Argentina, must be held in quarantine for at least 7 days as a check for VEE.

APHIS imposes similar testing and certification requirements on horses from other parts of the world but without the quarantine for VEE. These horses are held in quarantine--usually 3 days--or until tests are completed. Because the disease equine piroplasmosis (equine babesiosis) is endemic in Mexico but not established in the United States,^[20] transportation of horses from Mexico to the United States requires evaluation of horses for the presence of this disease.

Transportation of horses from Mexico to the United States normally requires at least 3 days in quarantine, which is incompatible with most recreational equestrian travel across the border. A leading exception to this rule is the special waiver obtained by riders participating in the Cabalgata Binacional Villista (see cavalcade).

[edit] Crossing from the United States to Mexico

Import from the United States to Mexico requires evidence within the prior 45 days of freedom from equine infectious anemia, among other requirements.^[21]

[edit] See also

• Border Field State Park
• Border Film Project
• Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005
• List of crossings of the Rio Grande
• Mexico–United States relations
• Minuteman Project
• New River (Mexico-United States)
• Rio Grande border disputes
• Roosevelt Reservation
• S. 2611
• San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area
• Secure Fence Act of 2006
• Southwest Border Security Consortium
• United States–Mexico barrier

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

Parts of this article have been adapted from The International Boundary and Water Commission, Its Mission, Organization and Procedures for Solution of Boundary and Water Problems, a public domain publication of the United States Government.

Arbelaez, Harvey, and Claudio Milman. "The New Business Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean." International Journal of Public Administration (2007): 553

Kelly, Patricia, and Douglas Massey. "Borders for Whom? The Role of NAFTA in Mexico-U.S. Migration." The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political Science 610 (2007): 98-118

Miller, Tom. On the Border: Portraits of America’s Southwestern Frontier, 1981.

[edit] External links

• Border Town - Dallas Observer