Comments at the source

NOW on PBS
Week of 7.3.09

Obama's Border Fence

The U.S.-Mexico border fence—are private contractors making billions on a project that won't even work?

In 2006, Congress authorized the Secure Fence Act—a multi-billion dollar plan to build hundreds of miles of fencing along the southern border of the U.S. The plan has been billed as the way to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants and provide security from potential terrorism.

But what was built to fight illegal immigration has turned into a nightmare for many Americans living along the U.S.-Mexico border. The fence, which will cover less than half of the actual border, inexplicably cuts through the middle of some properties, while leaving others untouched. Many question if it can keep people from sneaking in at all.

An even greater worry may be the virtual fence the Obama administration is planning for the remaining 1,300 miles of border, at an estimated cost of nearly $7 billion. The problem? The new technology to complete the virtual fence has not been proven to work in the field.

This week, NOW Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa travels to Texas to meet border families who fear losing their property, their safety, and their way of life.

This is an update to our show The Border Fence.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/432/index.html

Web Feature
Issue Clash: Illegal Immigration
Activists on both sides of the fence debate illegal immigration in America.

[3.25.09
Issue Clash: Illegal Immigration

Antonio Gonzalez and Chris Simcox debate how the U.S. government should approach the issue of illegal immigration. Gonzalez is President of the William C. Velasquez Institute and Simcox is the head of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.
http://www.pbs.org/now/debates/immigration.html ]

Sidebar:
Video: 'The Wall'
Arizona residents share what's wrong with the fence built in their yard.
(From The Border Wall, a film by Wayne Ewing)
(please see source for links)

Related Links
In the News
Viewer Comments

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/527/index.html