The LA Times explains hows the US is working to build a better, friendlier border fence with Mexico.

…in a nine-week project called Fence Lab, they were trying to solve one of the nation’s most vexing problems — how to find fencing strong enough to protect the U.S. from one of the largest human migrations in history but sensitive to the fact that Mexico and the U.S. are friendly nations.

Consider the government’s requirements.

The fence must be formidable but not lethal; visually imposing but not ugly; durable but environmentally friendly; and economically built but not flimsy.

“It’s not that simple,” said Collin Sloan, whose company was among those submitting designs to Fence Lab. Sloan has studied guard towers, machine guns and razor wire at border defenses around the world.

“Other countries are a lot more into intimidation,” he said. “This is the only humane border fence being constructed.”

The spec’s are specific.

None of the new generation barriers have angled parts or horizontal slats. Most of the newer fencing is transparent because border agents complained that the solid steel mats blocked their view of smugglers staging crossings in Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security began the search for new fences earlier this year, inviting private contractors to submit ideas.

Proposals had to meet certain specifications. The barrier had to be 15 to 18 feet high. It had to be able to withstand the impact of a vehicle moving at 40 mph. It had to be strong enough to keep smugglers from cutting through it in less than 15 minutes. It had to be “aesthetically pleasing” and able to be erected at a pace of at least one mile per day.

But will they keep out the unwanted? For that, they created a Red Team.

“They came in as the opposing team, the adversaries,” said Brian Damkroger, who oversees border security work for Sandia. “The team had a number of procedures and tool kits that they had developed and seen utilized in certain areas of the border, and they went through a systematic series of tests designed to judge the vulnerabilities of the fences.”

In other words, the red team attacked — with battery-powered saws, grinders, fire axes and ladders taken from Tijuana human smugglers. One by one, in a matter of minutes, they reduced the fences to tatters. The engineers hadn’t expected that.

“I think they were impressed by the inventiveness, and I know we opened their eyes,” said Chris Wells, the Border Patrol’s assistant chief from California’s El Centro sector. “We exposed them to a world that is normal to us but is unusual to them.”