Image taken on Feb. 3, 2017, shows a view of a section of the already existed border wall and fences between the United States and Mexico in California border city Calexico. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to build "a large physical barrier" between the U.S. and Mexico on Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Chaoqun)
"Trump's border wall? ... Well, I think it's just kidding," Brenda Gonzalez joked around with his customers.
Originally from Mexico, Gonzalez is now a front desk manager at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in El Centro, California, 350 kilometers southeast to Los Angeles.
"Tell Trump to offer me a job when he starts to build the wall," A Caucasian co-worker said to Gonzalez, while getting ready to start his shift at the front desk.
Just a few months ago, this young man moved from Eastern Los Angeles to the largest city in the Imperial Valley, only 6.8 kilometers north of Calexico, a smaller town divided by fence with Mexicali, a Mexican city.
This three-story Holiday Inn Express is a standing-out building in El Centro, owned by an immigrant from Eastern India.
Ten years ago before this hotel first opened to business, local residents in El Centro thought motels were good enough for this city since only truck drivers would sleep over at town. But now, with the development of border trading, El Centro is growing and getting international, with chain restaurants and supermarkets. In Calexico, many of the shop owners are Korean.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Jan. 25 to have the Department of Homeland Security begin planning, designing and building a "physical barrier" along the U.S.-Mexico border, identify undocumented immigrants, and remove those who have criminal records.
The cost of the wall to block off the nearly 3200 km-long border has been estimated to be anything from 8 to 25 billion U.S. dollars.
However, for local residents living in the border cities, the wall is a ridiculous idea.
"They won't build that wall, even if they did, nothing will change. There used to have those thin fences along the border, now they've replaced them with stronger metal fences. But people still come across the border to buy things or work. I do not think a wall will stop them." Vincent, a salesman at El Centro Walmart who only gave his first name, told Xinhua.
The "ugly iron fences" he talked about are about 6 meters high and located in Calexico.
Vincent, immigrated from Mexico years ago, believed that income difference was one of the major reasons for illegal immigrants to enter U.S. from Mexico.
"They only make 4 dollars a day over there, but here, they make a few times more than that. One day here equals to one week there. Even if they get caught and sent back, they can come back later with Border Crossing Card," Vincent said.
Border Crossing Card (BCC) allows Mexican citizens to visit the border areas of the United States when entering by land or sea directly from Mexico for less than 72 hours.
