THE WALL
Tijuana, Mexico (right)\n\nThe\xa0Mexico\u2013United States barrier\xa0(Spanish:\xa0barrera M\xe9xico\u2013Estados Unidos), also known as the\xa0border wall, is a series of\xa0vertical barriers\xa0along the\xa0Mexico\u2013United States border\xa0intended to\xa0reduce\xa0illegal immigration to the United States\xa0from\xa0Mexico.[1]\xa0The barrier is not a continuous structure, but a series of obstructions classified as 'fences' or 'walls'.\nBetween the physical barriers, security is provided by a 'virtual fence' of sensors, cameras, and other\xa0surveillance equipment\xa0used to dispatch\xa0United States Border Patrol\xa0agents to suspected migrant crossings.[2]\xa0In May 2011, the\xa0Department of Homeland Security\xa0stated that it had 649 miles (1,044\xa0km) of barriers in place.[3]\xa0The total length of the continental border is 1,954 miles (3,145\xa0km).