TUCSON, Ariz. — A section of the steel fence that divides the U.S. and Mexico has been repaired several months after debris from a rainstorm knocked it down.
U.S. Border Patrol spokeswoman Nicole Ballistrea says the repairs were completed Friday on the 60 feet of rebar-reinforced fencing just west of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.
Agents discovered the downed fence in July after heavy rain in Nogales, Sonora, caused debris to build up against the fence, toppling it. The fence stood between 18 and 26 feet high and extended at least 7 feet underground.
The fence was built in 2011. It is constantly monitored by agents because smugglers and others who attempt to cross illegally routinely try to breach or knock down parts of it.
Ballistrea said the cost of the repairs was unavailable Monday.
The storm also sent debris through the fallen fence into Nogales, Arizona, damaging some homes and businesses.
Contractors hired by the Border Patrol could not begin repairs immediately because the ground remained wet for several weeks.
The fallen fence was discovered the same week agents found a garage-sized hole that had been cut into fencing near Nogales, Arizona.
That part of the fence was repaired within days, Ballistrea said.
