As the debate over President Donald Trump's border wall continues in Congress, work is underway to replace a portion of existing wall along the California-Mexico border.
It's part of millions of dollars approved last year by the Trump adminstration to fix existing fences and barriers neglected for years. Upgrades also are planned along the border in El Paso and Rio Grande Valley.
“Obviously everything was stalled under the Obama administriation which really didn't want to do much in the way of enforcement, but now that you've got an administration that's serious about it, they're moving ahead,” says Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Mehlman says stretch of fencing near Calexico, California has already proven to be effective.
“If you go back 20 to 25 years, areas around San Diego were inundated every single night by people flooding across the border, and that was halted when President Bill Clinton gave the green light to put that fence there, and that's what is needed along the rest of the border.”
Meanwhile, money for Trump's wall is still tied up in the DACA debate.
“Everyone who has been living with the consequences of open borders would like to see it done sooner rather than later, but it's going to require Congress to actually do something.”