There will soon be new work on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s border wall after a construction stoppage left behind piles of building materials, rockfall on blasted hillsides, large construction staging areas and poor drainage that led to flooding and inoperable gates.
On Tuesday Customs and Border Protection announced a proposal to clean up and repair damage from construction of border barriers in Pima, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Santa Cruz counties, and the agency is seeking public input until Feb. 3.
The announcement comes after the Department of Homeland Security said on Dec. 20 that it will address safety and environmental issues left by unfinished border wall projects across parts of the border with Mexico, with a large majority of projects located in the Border Patrol’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sector.
Although there won’t be new length added to the border wall, there could be new barriers added to fill in small gaps in the wall. Many of the gaps are there because when building the wall, two construction crews would come from opposite directions. Where the crews met, there was often a few feet of space left between the two lengths of wall.
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As part of these new remediation measures, those openings could possibly be filled with a section of wall, a gate or some other type of barrier.
The proposal calls for 19 project segments along 137 miles of border, including environmentally sensitive areas in Organ Pipe National Monument, Buenos Aires and Cabeza Prieta wildlife refuges, San Pedro National Riparian Area and Coronado National Memorial. The proposal includes:
Revegetation of disturbed areas
Installation of small wildlife passages in the fence or wall in Organ Pipe
Erosion control
Installation of cattle fencing and cattle guards
Restoration of retention ponds
Completion of access roads and restoration or decommissioning of construction roads
Bridge construction at the San Pedro River, Black Draw, Silver Creek and Hay Hollow
Drainage completion or repair and stormwater pollution prevention
Gap closure and gate installation.
Debate about filling gaps
Environmentalists and many people who live on the border say the gaps are critical for the movement of local wildlife. On the other hand, Border Patrol officials say the gaps make it difficult to monitor the border, and that it takes manpower to stop people from entering the country through the gaps, where a wall would be more effective.
In December, soon after the Biden administration announced reinstatement of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico†program, there was a short spike of migrant crossings in the Yuma Sector, west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, including many families and children, which officials said put a strain on local social services. Experts speculated those families were trying to get to the U.S. before the program would begin returning migrants to Mexico to wait for hearings in U.S. courts.
The number of times Border Patrol agents encountered migrants entering the U.S. in between ports of entry was high in 2021, with many migrants crossing more than one time since many are sent directly back to Mexico because of Title 42, a public-health policy in response to the pandemic.
The Biden administration’s focus should be on border security and filling the gaps in the wall, although the desert ecosystem is also important, says C.J. Karamargin, spokesman for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.
“I don’t know if retention ponds and revegetation and wildlife passages are the remedy that’s needed for communities like Yuma,†he said. “What is happening in places like Yuma is a border security and humanitarian crisis, not a revegetation crisis. The gaps need to be filled.â€
There are no remediation proposals for the Yuma area at this time, but gaps like the ones in Yuma exist in many spots along the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ border wall.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly also called on the administration to close some of the gaps where Border Patrol agents encounter larger groups of migrants entering the United States. He also asked for remediation efforts to address some of the landscapes most devastated by the border wall construction.
“Closing some of the gaps and installing gates will be positive steps to secure sections of the border,†Kelly, a ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Democrat, said in a mid-December statement. “Repairing land damaged in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County, like Guadalupe Canyon, will help protect homes and ranchland from flooding and other hazards while restoring natural barriers in the landscape that support security goals.â€

Two completed sections of border wall end at a gap near Sasabe, Ariz. on Dec. 2nd, 2021.
Conservancy organization Wildlands Network set up scores of motion-activated wildlife cameras in the San Bernardino Valley in southeastern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County two years ago as part of an effort to fill the void the Trump administration left by waiving the legal requirement to show the wall’s impact on wildlife.
The organization saw wildlife moving through some of the openings in the wall, in particular in spots where there are floodgates that were opened prior to the monsoons last year, says Myles Traphagen, the borderlands program coordinator for Wildlands Network.
After the gates were opened, larger species, such as mountain lions, whitetail deer, mule deer and Gould’s turkeys, were able to use the washes, drainage ditches and streams that had been walled off the previous year when the gates were closed.
“It’s going to have a detrimental impact on wildlife if they close those gaps,†Traphagen said.
Wildlife passages “smaller than your doggie doorâ€
DHS is working with the Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service to assess the status and condition of the border barrier projects and determine the scope and extent of remediation work, the department said in a news release.
The government plans to prioritize projects that “address life and safety, including the protection of the public, USBP agents, and nearby communities from potential harms, and avert further environmental damage or degradation,†the news release said.
These projects will be funded by 2021 border barrier appropriations, which Congress allocated during the Trump administration but didn’t use since the Biden administration stopped the construction.
The proposal includes a lot about making sure that roads are in good condition, erosion is under control and that culverts, drainage and cattle guards are working, but there’s very little that addresses concerns for wildlife, Traphagen says.
One of the proposals is adding small wildlife passages in the wall, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, of about 8.5 by 11 inches, an effort started by the Trump administration.
Such small openings don’t address the movement of larger animals in the region, such as Sonoran pronghorn antelope, desert bighorn sheep, the Mexican gray wolf and the jaguar.
“That’s smaller than your doggie door at PetSmart — it’s almost laughable if the situation wasn’t so tragic,†Traphagen said. “What kind of wildlife will pass through them? Nothing larger than a jackrabbit, potentially a bobcat but unlikely. So the fact that they have proposed wildlife crossings, to me, is a very disingenuous proposition and simply looks like a veneer of environmental compliance.â€

The project's proposals is to add small wildlife openings in the border wall at Organ Pipe National Monument.
Before any wildlife passages are made, DHS needs to monitor the wildlife in the region to see where the passages would be used and then the government needs to assess whether they work, he said.
Interference with water flows
Michael Bogan, a freshwater biologist and assistant professor at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ School of Natural Resources and the Environment, agrees that the existing gaps should remain open to allow wildlife connectivity and says the gates over waterways should remain open as well.
Two major issues that need to be addressed in the remediation are erosion on the hill slopes from roads constructed for moving materials to build the wall, and the blockage of water flow across the border, Bogan says.
“Those have cascading impacts if the vegetation is removed or denuded because of erosion,†he said. “Then there’s less food for the wildlife species that are out there. That makes for more dangerous areas where they’re out in the open and predators can see them. There’s a whole lot of issues that come out of those two habitat concerns, with the wall construction.â€
There’s essentially no way you can engineer a barrier that is not going to interfere with the flow of water, Bogan says. During the latest monsoon season, metal gates were torn off their hinges in Silver Creek, near the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, and debris piled up in open gateways across the San Pedro River.

Homeland Security plans to address issues with gates in the border wall as part of the border remediation projects. In a creek near Douglas, metal gates were torn off their hinges by water and debris that came through during the summer monsoons earlier this year.
“From an ecology and hydrology perspective, the only real solution is to have those water bodies completely unimpeded by a wall or by any kind of barrier,†Bogan said.
“They should use all the technology they have for detecting movement and put in sensor plates and put in those things other than a physical barrier because eventually you’re going to have a big enough rainstorm that no matter what kind of gate or bridge they put in, it’s going to get overwhelmed and it’s going to cause flooding and erosion issues.â€
Bogan says there are areas of construction along the wall that are unfixable, like in Guadalupe Canyon at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ border with New Mexico, or the Tinajas Altas Mountains in Yuma where mountain sides were blasted to build roads.
“There’s no amount of revegetation or fixing that will ever undo that damage,†he said. “No matter what kind of restoration they come up with, there’s going to be a lasting legacy of the construction no matter what.â€
Revegetation, a difficult proposal
The proposal doesn’t contain a lot of detail on what will go into revegetating disturbed areas, other than saying areas around the wall will be reseeded in accordance with specifications provided by federal land managers.
This will include construction staging areas in the wildlife refuges and areas outside the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip of federal land that runs along much of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Revegetation in the desert is a difficult proposal because of the arid climate and ongoing drought cycles for the last 17 years or so, and perhaps more important than revegetation is a vigorous program of invasive plant control, said Traphagen, with the Wildlands Network.
Getting things to grow in this region can be difficult, but he says the true danger in not doing revegetation properly is that invasive species will colonize bare land that’s been stripped of native vegetation.

Reseed staging areas outside of the Roosevelt Reservation at Coronado National Memorial.
This could not only shift the native plant community and affect wildlife in myriad ways, but it could also affect ranching.
“Ranching is an important part of the economy in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the Southwest, and the native grasses have very high-quality forage, and most of them exceed the protein amounts of the exotic species such as Lehmann lovegrass and buffelgrass,†Traphagen said. “When these exotic species take hold, they displace the native species of grasses; therefore, that reduces the carrying capacity of the land for ranchers.â€
Revegetation done right could be a very good thing for ranchers in the area, such as Kelly Glenn-Kimbro, whose family owns the Glenn Ranch, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge on three sides, and abutted with new border wall to the south.
“I think revegetation is a great idea because they left a lot of big scars,†she said. “Restoration of grasslands — that’s an amazing thing. That’s great. Ranchers are all about that.â€
Lack of engagement
Glenn-Kimbro, a Republican, was against the wall because she thought it was a waste of money. Hundreds of people would cross the border through the family’s property 15 years ago, but with the installation of vehicle barriers in 2008, observation towers and more agents patrolling, she says her family saw just a few migrants a year crossing and didn’t see the need for a 30-foot wall in their backyard.
Nonetheless, they let the contractors set up a construction yard on their land and use their well, in part so as to spare the wildlife refuge. And Glenn-Kimbro says the contractors did what they could to clean up the land afterward.
What she is really upset about is the lack of engagement with stakeholders in creating the proposal, a common complaint among both environmentalists and people who live on the border. The first time Glenn-Kimbro heard about the proposal wasn’t from the Biden administration but from Kelly’s Senate office, she says.
Instead of creating a proposal and asking for feedback, the administration should put together a taskforce to ask every single rancher, farmer, landowner and small border community about what’s truly needed, she says.
“That’s the thing that I hold Biden accountable for,†Glenn-Kimbro said. “It’s all fine and dandy to stop a project, but he had no concern, no respect or nothing for the communities that had been involved with this and were still raw and open with open wounds.â€
Request for comment
The Customs and Border Protection request for public comments asks the following questions:
What immediate actions are needed to address safety issues, including protecting the public, Border Patrol agents, nearby communities and averting further environmental damage?
What measures are the highest priority?
Are there best practices that need to be followed in implementing the remediation measures?
The work will start in the months following the 30-day comment period, and officials estimate it will take 12 to 28 months to complete.
To read the full proposal and leave feedback before Feb. 3, go to or email ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥Comments@cbp.dhs.gov and put “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Remediation Plan Comments” in the subject of the email.
Comments can also be left by calling 1-800-514-0638 or by mail at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. 6.5E Mail Stop 1039, Washington, D.C. 20229-1100.

The border wall plan included projects to reseed staging areas and remove construction debris outside of the Roosevelt Reservation on Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
Photos of the U.S. – Mexico border fence
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A dog stands on a road commonly used by Border Patrol near Slaughter Ranch Museum Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A border monument on the Mexico side of the border seen east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge sits on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A bull and cow graze near the site of new wall construction east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The border seen stretching from hills east of Douglas into the Guadalupe Mountains Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

Flowers grow around border fencing near the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

Construction equipment set up at the site of new border wall construction on the US/Mexico border east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A Border Patrol tower on the hills east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

Memorials place on graves at Julia Page Memorial Park in Douglas which sits along the U.S./Mexico border Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A car drives through Douglas on a road parallel to the U.S./Mexico border wall Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The Slaughter Ranch homestead Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A lake on the Slaughter Ranch Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

A toy rocking horse placed on the side of East Geronimo Trail with a sign advertising five minute pony rides for 25 cents Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

Highway 2 in Mexico winds its way to Agua Prieta Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The vehicle in a ditch was driven through the international border fence in Agua Prieta, Mex., into Douglas, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in July 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

Mexican citizens run back into Agua Prieta, Mexico through a hole in the border fence at Douglas, Ariz., after the U.S. Border Patrol scared them back across the border in 1997.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry on May 1, 2018, in Douglas, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.

The Douglas, Ariz., border crossing in 1968.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

U.S./Mexico border fencing next to a old church building in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

Old border posts line the U.S./Mexico line near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

A Soal Off Roading sticker placed on a U.S./Mexico border post near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

Mountains in Santa Cruz County seen from Duquesne Road between Nogales and Lochiel seen Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

A monument in Lochiel marking where Fray Marcos De Niza entered ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

Brothers Ramon and Ed De La Ossa mend fencing on their family's ranch in Lochiel after moving cattle Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

Ed De La Ossa mends fencing on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

Ed De La Ossa moves cattle on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

U.S. Customs inspector Helen Mills, right, greets Mexican counterpart Raymundo Aguirre Castillo at the U.S. - Mexican border station at Lochiel, Ariz., in 1979.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.

The US Customs building, right, at Lochiel, Ariz., is just a short distance away from the international border in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry, which is mostly made up of five houses, a school and an vacant church, inspecting vehicles as they head into the US. During the week, from Monday through Saturday, Mills opens the border gate from 8 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm. On Sunday the gate is open from 8 am to 6 pm. In that time barely a dozen vehicles make their way across the border but it is a major convenience to the local residents.Â
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Pedestrians walk to the Nogales port of entry Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

A pedestrian walks across North Grand Avenue in Nogales near the U.S./Mexico port of entries Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer R. Hernandez uses a density-measuring device on the rear quarter-panel of a Mexico-bound passenger vehicle at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Nov. 2, 2016, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

A Customs and Border Protection officer makes a visual check of a man's identification at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Feb. 15, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. Busts of fraudulent border-crossing documents and the use of someone else's documents plummeted in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the rest of the border in the past decade.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Northbound commercial truck traffic lined up for inspection at the Mariposa Port of Entry on March 28, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

In the commercial lanes a semi truck stops between the lanes looking for the first available opening at the Mariposa Port of Entry in 2015.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Javier Castillo inspects a north-bound Mexican tractor-trailer at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Department of Transportation's inspection facility at the Mariposa Port of Entry on Sept. 19, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. ADOT's International Border Inspection Qualification program, led by ADOT's Border Liaison Unit, teaches commercial truck drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they enter ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ports of entry.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

A Border Patrol truck parked near the commercial port of entry in Nogales.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

An illegal alien scales the U.S.-Mexico fence back toward Sonora after a Nogales Police Department officer, right, spotted him west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Kory's, a store catering to wedding, quincea–era and formal gowns, located at 15 N Morley Ave, Nogales, Ariz., sits katty corner to the Morley Gate Border Station on January 30, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Sun shines through the U.S.-Mexico bollard fence west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Children from Nogales, Sonora, climb through a hole in the international border fence to trick-or-treat in Nogales, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, on Halloween in 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Border monument #166 is seen on the right as construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaces old U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A Mexican worker rides his horse along a road south of the U.S./Mexican border wall on his way back into Sonoyta Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

New paneling of border wall seen about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Old mesh paneling is removed in preparation for new wall to be built about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A construction worker prepares cables to lift a piece of the 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Border Patrol Officers to the side of a worksite about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry where new border wall is being installed seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Old wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Raised wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A work site east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Normandy fencing placed against a section of border fence west of Lukeville Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A semi passes by Quitobaquito Springs as it drives along Highway 2 in Mexico Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

An area referred to as "flood gate" along the U.S./Mexico border near Sasabe, Ariz. is on the list of the Department of Homeland Security’s priorities for building a border wall, but no funding has been allocated yet. September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

Vehicle barriers mark the U.S./Mexico border within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A portion of the U.S./Mexico bollard border fence ends on the right and vehicle barriers begin within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Integrated Fixed Tower, left, near Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.

The new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaced old U.S./Mexico border fence can be seen on the left. It's located about miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

A US Border Patrol vehicle seen next to a section of new 30 foot high wall along the US/Mexico border near the commercial port of entry in San Luis Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

Old fencing is taken down along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

A security guard stand in a construction site where a new fence will be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

Old fencing against new fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

Crews prepare ground for a new fence to be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

Vehicles in line to enter the United States from San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

New fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

A new section of fencing on the U.S. - Mexico border in California, just west of Yuma, Ariz., in 1993.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

Sand drifts through the "floating fence" that marks the border running through the dunes, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

A sign warns of the dangers of trying to swim the All-American Canal just north of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

A long string of lights illuminate the no-man's land between the triple fencing of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.

The border fence comes to an abrupt end at the currently dry Colorado River, Thursday, July 26, 2018, west of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.