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AirTalk

With Mexico-US border wall bids due today, parsing the effectiveness of the barrier

By AirTalk Staff
Published Apr 4, 2017
President Trump has signed an order to begin building a new wall along the border line between Mexico and the U.S. Here, the border is seen from the community of Sasabe in Sonora state, Mexico, earlier this month.
President Trump has signed an order to begin building a new wall along the border line between Mexico and the U.S. Here, the border is seen from the community of Sasabe in Sonora state, Mexico.
(
Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen 16:59
With Mexico-US border wall bids due today, parsing the effectiveness of the barrier

Bids for the first design contracts on the Trump Administration’s plans for a U.S., Mexico border wall are due Tuesday.

And while it’s unclear how many contractors will apply, the Associated Press reports more than 200 companies signed up for email notifications on the project’s website for contractors lists. Chosen prototypes will be built on an approximately quarter mile strip of land in San Diego. Costs are estimated to reach $200,000 to $500,000 for each model.

But how effective will a wall really be? And what evidence can we draw on from past attempts at curbing illegal immigration?

Guests:

Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies at Center for Immigration Studies

Konstantin Kakaes, fellow at the D.C.-based think tank New America