The Wall Starts Here.

There are 2,000 miles of the US border with Mexico split about equally between the desert border with California, Arizona, and New Mexico and the Rio Grande river border with Texas from El Paso to the Gulf. About 600 miles of this total distance has some kind of barrier – a wall, a pedestrian fence, or a vehicle barrier.

The very last part of the barrier sits in a private field outside Brownsville; a few hundred yards from the actual river border coming to an abrupt end for no apparent reason. This section was built in 2009 as a result of the 2006 Secure Fence Act signed by George W Bush. The fence still has a number of gaps that allow the actual land owners access to their property but, in 2017 a series of 11 gates were commissioned to allow these gaps to be closed and opened by the land owners. Each gate like the one you see here cost $520,000 even with the powers granted to the Dept. of Homeland Security to waive dozens of environmental laws.

We rode through one of the gaps to see if we could roll along the other side but were immediately stopped by a very polite and friendly Customs and Border Patrol agent. “No you cannot be here. The land is private and the top of the levy is now government property for public safety reasons. No you cannot photograph me having this conversation”.

To add some interesting technology contrast, just a short distance north of this rusting ten year old people herding fence, the launch facility for SpaceX visibly towers over the surrounding landscape.

Before heading out there this morning and leaving the lovely people of Brownsville, we had breakfast at Mariel’s. We met Alice, the daughter of the owner, and chatted to Rosita who told us that her mother fled Mexico, she was born in Brownsville then moved to Minnesota, married a Mexican guy who was then deported, so she moved back to be with her mum.

She said she missed Minnesota but wouldn’t say if she missed the husband.