The book examines the United States Border Patrol's (USBP) deployment of fencing and vehicle barriers along the U.S. southern border to impede the illegal entry of pedestrians and vehicles. Begun in 1990 and buttressed with a secondary layer of fencing in 1996 to deter illegal entries and drug smuggling in the San Diego sector, the USBP's 14 mile-long San Diego "primary fence" formed part of its "Prevention Through Deterrence" strategy to reduce smuggling and illegal migration by placing agents and resources directly on the border.

"An extensive collection of significant documents covering all major and minor issues and events regarding terrorism. Government reports, executive orders, speeches, court proceedings, and position papers are presented in full text reprint." (Oceana Website)

In her Brookings Essay, The Wall, Brookings Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown explains the true costs of building a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, including (but not limited to) the estimated $12 to $21.6 billion price tag of construction. Felbab-Brown explains the importance of the United States' relationship with Mexico, on which the U.S. relies for cooperation on security, environmental, agricultural, water-sharing, trade, and drug smuggling issues. The author uses her extensive on-the-ground experience in Mexico to illustrate the environmental and community disruption that the construction of a wall would cause, while arguing that the barrier would do nothing to stop illicit flows into the United States. She recalls personal interviews she has had with people living in border areas, including a woman whose family relies on remittances from the U.S., a teenager trying to get out of a local gang, and others.