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Man Builds Fence To Fend Off Illegal Crossings

POSTED: 8:27 pm PDT September 12, 2006
UPDATED: 8:40 pm PDT September 12, 2006

SAN DIEGO -- For Bob Maupin, it is a gargantuan attempt to protect and secure his 250-acre ranch.

His property sits just yards from the U.S.-Mexico border.

“They want to jump across this road so they won't be seen and get past this fence,” said Maupin.

He said he has spent the last 15 years slowly building a chain-link fence that is 10 feet high and 2,000 yards long.

Maupin’s mission is to stop what has been a rush of illegal crossings into the U.S. through his land.

“People cross every single night and more than one group,” said Maupin.

Regarding the fence, Maupin said it works.

Night vision video taken on Maupin’s land last month showed what turned out to be five illegal immigrants attempting to cross. However, the group was turned back when they could not get through the fence.

Not every illegal crossing can be stopped, with 66 miles of international border in the San Diego sector alone.

The U.S. Office of Immigration estimated that 2.8 million illegal immigrants are currently in California.

Those numbers forced the deployment of the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border last spring to help with border security.

While he said the number of illegal crossings are down, the commissioner for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said last week that the job is far from over.

“Are we at a point yet where we can put our flag in the ground and declare victory? No, I would say not,” said W. Ralph Basham.

One of the latest concerns with border security is the threat of terrorists or weapons entering the U.S. through border crossings.

Maupin said he is troubled because he has seen people from as far away as China and the Middle East trying to cross into the U.S. through his land.