# What happens to the U.S - Mexico border at the coast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588 "2015-11-25T23:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bomberswarm2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/1 "2015-11-25T23:41:05Z")
I dont live in america, so i can’t find out - does it continue into the water, or is there a guard there watching the coast, or a boat? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/2 "2015-11-26T00:43:24Z")
The fence continues out a few dozen yards or so into the Pacific. No, there are no ‘guard towers’. [Here it is on Google Maps.](https://www.google.com/maps/@32.5343091,-117.123907,444m/data=!3m1!1e3) [Here’s a still photo.](https://www.google.com/maps/@32.535187,-117.126013,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s66586148!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fstatic.panoramio.com%2Fphotos%2Fsmall%2F66586148.jpg!7i1600!8i1200) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/3 "2015-11-26T01:14:17Z")
The eastern end follows the Rio Grande into The Gulf of Mexico, so [there isn’t even a fence…](https://www.google.com/maps/@25.9548316,-97.1499659,2788m/data=!3m1!1e3) ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/4 "2015-11-26T01:24:09Z")
I was down in that area recently (the border that ends in the Gulf of Mexico) and it was a lot different from the west coast border. There wasn’t a fence, and it was difficult to tell where the actual Rio Grande (which the locals made several jokes about not being so “grand” by this point) ended and the ocean began. It seemed like a big marsh. I found it rather disturbing, because I’m used to the Los Angeles-area beaches. Land shouldn’t gradually merge into the ocean with lots of shallow water marshy swamps, it should be an abrupt transition from city to sandy beach to ocean, dang it! ETA: Oh, and there were lots of other boats around, but I didn’t see any Coast Guard boats. I did see several Border Patrol vehicles on the roads, though. ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/5 "2015-11-26T01:35:09Z")
Back in the good old days (1980’s into the distant past) people would just cruise small boats or paddle vehicles close to the surf line, at night time, with goodies…no one seemed to care much about anything…🆒 ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/6 "2015-11-26T01:44:55Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The eastern end follows the Rio Grande into The Gulf of Mexico, so [there isn’t even a fence…](https://www.google.com/maps/@25.9548316,-97.1499659,2788m/data=!3m1!1e3) But The Donald has promised that the Mexicans will build one, so that’s all right. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/7 "2015-11-26T01:58:45Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The fence continues out a few dozen yards or so into the Pacific. No, there are no ‘guard towers’. [Here it is on Google Maps.](https://www.google.com/maps/@32.5343091,-117.123907,444m/data=!3m1!1e3) [Here’s a still photo.](https://www.google.com/maps/@32.535187,-117.126013,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s66586148!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fstatic.panoramio.com%2Fphotos%2Fsmall%2F66586148.jpg!7i1600!8i1200) It’s actually a state park (Border Field) on the U.S. side, and a municipal park–I believe–on the Tijuana side. [Here’s a picture](http://s14.postimg.org/sju7rwt0x/10_Border_Field_State_Park_families_talking_betw.jpg) showing how families often go there to give gifts, etc., between the poles. It’s very well watched, now, but I had a girlfriend once from El Salvador who long ago had originally entered the country by swimming really far out and then swimming in on the northern side, (later legalized under Reagan’s amnesty). ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/8 "2015-11-26T02:14:52Z")
Also, remember that the border stretches along that same direction into the Pacific (and also the gulf) for 12 miles, after which you get to international waters. ---
**Author:** ![bomberswarm2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/9 "2015-11-26T02:33:46Z")
So what’s the point of the fence if someone can just swim around it? ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/10 "2015-11-26T03:04:33Z")
> [@bomberswarm2](#): > > So what’s the point of the fence if someone can just swim around it? Or climb over it. Or dig under it. One point of a fence, is that it’s an obstacle you have to take concrete measures to defeat. You lose plausible deniability. “Gee officer, what do you mean this is an international border? I was just out for an evening stroll. Yes, with my suitcases.” ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/11 "2015-11-26T03:35:49Z")
> [@bomberswarm2](#): > > So what’s the point of the fence if someone can just swim around it? You can’t swim around it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/12 "2015-11-26T07:13:59Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > You can’t swim around it anymore. What stops you? It seems perfectly swimaroundable on the photos that Hail Ants links to. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/13 "2015-11-26T08:55:53Z")
Are there no armed Manatees ? No Dolphin Patrols ? No long-submerged mysterious temples of unknown civilisations guarded by the ghosts of drowned sailors ? Or maybe the US Boarder Patrol made a pact with Dagon. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-u-s-mexico-border-at-the-coast/738588/14 "2015-11-26T19:11:35Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > What stops you? It seems perfectly swimaroundable on the photos > that Hail Ants links to. One doesn’t even need to swim at low tide. Its easy to just walk _on the sand_ to get to the US side from Mexico. The problem is that the area is closely watched (from a distance) and any one truely making an attempt to go more then a few yards on to the US side will quickly find a whole bunch of border guards surrounding them. As far as making a long distance swim from say a mile or so south of the border to a mile or so north to the US side, several problems present themselves. The California Current is a strong flow of water that heads south from British Columbia to southern Baja Mexico. Swimming against this current would be a serious challenge to all but the most powerful swimmers. Water temperatures range from mid 50’s in the winter to high 60’s in the summer. Even with a full wet suit, most people are going to get very cold before making to the US. The Tijuana Sloughs. The Tijuana river flows through the Mexican city of Tijuana before reaching the Pacific. It is pretty much an open sewer and you can’t imagine how filthy the water is at the point where the river meets the ocean. Swimming through raw sewage would slow down or even end any attempt to cross the border. The Sloughs are actually north of the border, but the current sends the filth south. Night and day marked and unmarked boats and land vehicles patrol the area. These border guards have seen it all and are difficult to fool.