Photos of U.S. government
border enforcement measures
in South Texas in the first
st
decade of the 21 century
Boca Chica, mouth of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo del Norte in May 2001. Because
of drought, the river did not reach the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rio Grande just below the Hidalgo, Texas-Reynosa, Tamaulipas International
Bridge, March 2008.
Border Patrol river unit, Rio Grande Valley Sector, March 2010
Arms carried aboard boat
Border Patrol jet
ski, Rio Grande
Valley Sector, 2008
The ferry at Los Ebanos, Texas
The Los Ebanos Port of Entry
Inner tube used by migrants to cross the
river, Hidalgo, Texas, 2008
Styrofoam float used by
migrants to cross river, Hidalgo,
Texas, 2006
Plastic bags and clothing left by migrants after crossing
river, Laredo, Texas, 2004
Plastic jugs used by migrants for flotation as they crossed the
river, Hidalgo, Texas, 2008
Tires dragged by Border Patrol on levee road to clear migrant
footprints
Newly-erected concrete video
surveillance tower, Laredo, Texas,
Spring 2000
Mobile night-vision scope/camera,
Hidalgo, Texas, 2008
Mobile night vision scope/camera, Granjeno, Texas, March 2010
Modified van used by Border
Patrol to transport migrants
from where they are
apprehended in the field to
the nearest station. Migrants
call these vehicles perreras
(literally, dog kennels).
Agents being trained to use the IDENT system, Laredo Sector, 2000.
Agent interrogating migrants, Laredo Sector, 2000.
Fingerprint scanner, IDENT system, Laredo Sector, 2004
Panoptic control room, Border Patrol station, Laredo sector, 2004.
Holding cell for migrants, Border Patrol station, Laredo, Texas, 2004
Grafitti on door of holding cell for
migrants, Border Patrol station,
Laredo, Texas, 2004
Warnings to migrants about dangers of border-crossing,
Border Patrol station, detention area, Laredo, Texas, 2004
Migrant belongings, Border Patrol station,
Laredo, Texas, 2004
Bus used to transport migrants from
Border Patrol station in McAllen,
Texas to private prison operated by
the Wackenhut Corporation, March
2010
Border Patrol agent monitoring Laredo, Texas rail yard, 2004
Immigration checkpoint, IH-35 north of Laredo, Texas, 2004
Border Patrol K-9 unit (contraband-sniffing dog), IH-35 immigration
checkpoint north of Laredo, Texas, 2004
Border Patrol sign at Falfurrias,
Texas immigration checkpoint,
March 2010
New border wall and levee, Granjeno, Texas, March 2010
Home near levee in Granjeno, Texas, March 2010
New border wall near Dona, Texas, March 2010
Trinity University student
demonstrates how to scale wall.