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United States-Mexico Border Fence, 1950s

This 30-foot-long section of border fence separated the Mexican city of Mexicali from the U.S. city of Calexico, California. Located along First Street near Andrade Avenue in Calexico, this 14-foot-high chain link fence, reinforced with WWII surplus Martson mats and topped with barbed wire, was erected around 1949 in an effort to prevent petty crime and illegal migration. It replaced an earlier border fence which had been installed in 1919 . Looking closely one can see that the chain link has several holes (cut to gain entry) that have expert period mends. In 1998 the government removed the fence and replaced it with a more substantial border fence as part of Operation Gatekeeper.

Type

fence

Medium

metal (overall mesh fencing)

Department

NMAH

Institution

National Museum of American History

Object number

nmah_1392669

Credit

Gift of Armando Rascon