Q: I understand Mexico has built a wall along its border with Guatemala. What does this wall consist of, how long is it and how much did it cost? And why was it built?
—Boyd Hinnant, Mableton
A: There's no wall separating Mexico and Guatemala, despite mass emails that depict one between those countries.
Those emails often include photos of a border fence between the United States and Mexico in Arizona, the fence between Israel and the Egyptian border or a security barrier in the West Bank, Snopes.com wrote in an article that was updated in May.
A 2010 Inter Press Service News Agency stated Mexico was “building a wall along the border river Suchiate,” but the Mexican government told Q&A on the News in an email this month that it has “never planned to build a wall (on) our southern border.”
Segments of the border are known to be accessible areas for Guatemalans, Salvadoran and Hondurans to cross into Mexico.
The Associated Press wrote in 2014 that Mexico’s southern border includes “thick jungles make it highly difficult to police.”
Fusion.net, an online magazine, wrote in 2015 that the Suchiate River is a “major transit point for Central American migrants heading north on their way to the United States.”
“The Mexican government has been working closely (with) Guatemala and Belize in a border crossing system according to migration policies or legislation, with the aim of achieving a safe and orderly border,” the email stated.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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