The Fence

In October 2006, the United States government authorized the construction of a massive fence stretching seven hundred miles along the border separating the U.S. and Mexico. Proponents of the fence claimed that it would help prevent illegal immigration into the United States and foil drug smuggling. However, three years into the construction project, undocumented aliens are still streaming into America through communities divided by the fence, and drug traffic has not been significantly reduced. The fence also runs through a number of Mexican communities, dividing small towns and school campuses thanks to poor planning, and the construction has had a negative effect on the environment of previously unspoiled territories. The fence is ugly, impractical and ineffective -- so why is America still spending billions on dollars on completing a project that's a failure? Filmmaker Rory Kennedy examines the strange history and sometimes comical consequences of the border project in the documentary The Fence; produced for the premium cable network HBO, The Fence received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.