Evolution of a border crossing: US to tout fortified fence in Nogales

Our correspondent recalls the evolution of the US-Mexico divide at Nogales, from a simple chain-link fence to a virtual fortress boosted by electronic surveillance.

By Lourdes Medrano, Correspondent / June 30, 2011

Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico
For as long as I can remember, the border between the two towns where I once lived, both named Nogales, was just a place to cross either north to Arizona or south to Sonora.

It was "la lĂ*nea," the line. A chain-link fence that, if you so desired, allowed you to catch a glimpse of daily life on either side of the border. If you lived on the Mexican side and lacked a local border-crossing card, you could slip through the ever-present gaps in the fence and shop American for a day. If your home was on the Arizona side, you could use the same gaps as a shortcut to Mexico’s taco stands.

Most of us crossed legally into Arizona through two ports of entry during our back-and-forth excursions to shop, work, and socialize. Those of us who claimed US citizenship didn’t even have to carry proof. But the 1990s ushered in drastic change for Ambos Nogales, a common reference to the towns that share a name and a deep history.

IN PICTURES: The scene at the US/Mexico border

In mid-decade, the 2.8 miles of chain-link fence in the downtown core gave way to a more menacing metal wall fashioned out of corrugated steel once used as military landing mats. Now, the same stretch is being altered again, at a cost of $11.6 million. Today, the government officials will gather to tout the higher, bollard-style fence before the media as a more secure and efficient border.

“It’s more safety for agents; they can see us, we can see them,â€