What would it take to secure the U.S.-Mexico border?

For immigration reform to proceed, Republicans say, our southern border must be better protected. That won't come cheap

It would cost over $22.4 billion to build a fence along the entire southwestern border.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

How is the border defended now?

Through a combination of fences and patrols. The Department of Homeland Security has fenced off 651 miles of the 1,969-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. The barriers are mostly near urban areas and international bridges; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency uses patrols to guard the more remote borderlands in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The agency — currently larger than it's ever been, with over 58,000 personnel — spends $4 billion a year protecting the southwestern border with the help of 16,875 vehicles, 269 aircraft, 300 watercraft, and 300 camera towers. It even uses aerial drones to enhance the scrutiny. President Obama says that the U.S. has now "strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible." Senate Republicans, though, say they won't agree to immigration reform until the border is better protected. "We must follow through on the broken promises of the past to secure our borders and enforce our laws," said Sen. Marco Rubio.

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