"On The Fence: Perspectives from the U.S.-Mexico Border" was a project I completed in 2007 that examined daily life the cities of Calexico, California, USA, and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The two cities share a history, a language, a cultural heritage, and a fence.

The fence that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border between Calexico and Mexicali means different things to different people, and while for some it is in fact a defining element in their lives, it is clear that the fence is only a part of what is the unique culture of the borderland, a culture neither American nor Mexican, but one that is more cohesive and more fluid that we may often realize. Though we debate immigration policy in Washington and around the nation, at the border, that debate is not raging, and the border itself has a different personality. Since this project was completed in 2007, some of the data refers to the policies of the time (The Secure Fence Act, for example) which have since changed.

Many thanks to the people who shared their lives and time to help me and others understand more about this region and its issues.

The videos here are excerpts from a longer multimedia project.