The new proposed border wall on the southern US border is a hot topic in the USA today. I have a place in Arizona, and also in beautiful Puerto Penasco. It is about 60 miles south of the border. I actually am there more than in Arizona.
Now, I cross the border every single week. I quite often let the border agents use me as a guinea pig, and test new equipment for bombs, etc. (They usually ask for volunteers when something is new). I also have gotten to know them, and chat with them all of the time. So far I have yet to meet one that thinks the wall will do any good. That is not to say that they do not think that there are people crossing illegally. They have all said that the cartels are far more advanced than that, and have engineers that build tunnels, etc. You need to have drainage points and such, that will become places that people will get through. It is a multi billion dollar waste of money. The people that pay coyotes to cross are usually just trying to make a better life. As long as there is a black market for drugs, the border, and the cartels in Mexico will continue to be a problem.
Something interesting from a couple months ago though. I was at a gas station near the border in Ajo, and was speaking to 4 border agents, and there were also 2 Sherriff's officers. I was asking them some of these questions, their opinions of Trump, etc. We were having a good conversation when one of the Sheriffs blurted out of nowhere "I am sick of you damn people filming us." We all stopped our conversation, and looked at him a little troubled. He then said that he is getting to the point of hostility towards people that do. I said to him "you are the exact reason that I want to film cops." I had to ask him, if he isn't doing anything wrong, then why does it bother him to be filmed. I will say that in Mexico I have been pulled over for a DUI. Some friends visited, and we had a few. The town is small, and speeds are 25MPH, but still no reason to drive. But I got pulled over. They drove my car home for $100, and shook my hand. In AZ that is a minimum 10K fine, and 10 days in jail. I gotta say that there are a lot of things that I appreciate more about Mexico.