OPINION:
Between 1909 and 1911 the U.S. government built the first barbed-wire divide along the California-Mexico border, to prevent cattle from wandering between the United States and Mexico.
In early August 1918, Felix B. Penaloza, the presidente municipal, or mayor, of Nogales, Mexico, ordered construction of a fence running along the border between his city and Nogales, Arizona. The fence would consist of six wires strung to a height of six feet. His intent was to direct the flow of people crossing the border through two gateways, to make it easier for custom agents and others officials to oversee trans-border movement.
Mr. Penaloza also met with U.S. representatives to discuss a second, parallel fence, to be built by the Americans. Mexican officials said they “would welcome the building of such a fence by the United States government, as it would aid officials on both sides of the line in enforcing their regulations” and they insisted that “such action would not be irritating or offensive to Mexican sentiment.”
JACK ALEXANDER
Davidsonville, Md.
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