| How Not to Build a Fence
Skerry, Peter
Foreign Policy, September/October 2006, # 156, pp.64-68
The current intense political debate about immigration to the U.S. from Mexico has focused attention on extending and fortifying the physical barrier between the two countries. The author describes how the current 125-mile fence developed over time and how it evolved to address different, and sometimes competing, interests, including free movement of wildlife and other environmental concerns, issues of sovereignty where the border structures cross tribal lands, and even insurance liability. Skerry compares the efficacy of fences and other types of border barriers in other countries. Accompanying graphics illustrate the design, placement, and materials features of the fence. Peter Skerry is professor of political science at Boston College and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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