Mexico/U.S. 1

            The border between Mexico and the United States is nearly 2,000 miles long. In 2005, President George W. Bush enacted the Secure Fence Act, promising 700 miles of fence and increased Border Patrol presence along the entirety of the border. However, President Bush and others who supported this act failed to realize was that the fence wouldn’t stop undocumented immigrants from crossing the border. The creation of this fence solely changed the route these migrants take to enter into the United States. This altered route now runs through one of the hottest, most dangerous parts of the country. Since the enactment of this policy, more than 3,000 immigrants have died attempting to cross the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Reverend Robin Hoover has studied this topic in detail. After founding Humane Borders – a non-profit corporation that maintains a system of water stations in the Sonoran Desert on the most popular migrant routes – in 2002, he now focuses on solving the migration issue. His suggestions include making it easier to obtain visas and depoliticizing the issue. This project explores the dangers that have been brought about by the creating the border fence and ideas to make cross-border migration safer.