Steel fences, barbed wire, and natural barriers: The borders that divide us

The international border between New Mexico and Mexico stretches 180 miles. Some of it is closed off by steel walls. Other areas just have barbed wire fences. Doña Ana, Luna and Hidalgo are the three New Mexico counties that border Mexico. In Hidalgo County, the two countries share an 81-mile stretch of border. Several miles of that is Normandy fencing; dozens of miles of that perimeter is only barbed wire. "That is all of the barrier within Hidalgo County along our border," said Hidalgo County Manager Tisha Green. In the boot heel, much of the border is on private land. Many of the ranchers installed the barbed wire fences themselves. Rugged terrain is also an issue. "I don't see out in this area, out in Hidalgo County, where a wall would be even, where you'd even be able to put a wall up, in most the places, there's a lot of rough terrain," Green said. A few miles east, Luna County shares about 54 miles of border with Mexico. Normandy fencing, post and rail vehicle barriers, steel fences and barbed wire are the different structures the county has in place. "The barbed wire is the weakest link in our portion of the border," said Russell Johnson, a rancher in Deming. To the east of Luna is Doña Ana County, where they share 45 miles of border with Mexico. Most of the county has a structure in place along the border...MORE