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Mexican immigrants say wall might slow them down but won't stop them from crossing illegally
Protesters held up signs on the Mexican side of the U.S. and Mexico border on Tuesday where President Donald Trump visited to inspect border wall prototypes. One Mexican said a border wall wouldn't stop him from crossing illegally into the United States. (Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images)

Mexican immigrants say wall might slow them down but won't stop them from crossing illegally

President Donald Trump visited California on Tuesday where he inspected the eight prototypes for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

But Eladio Sanchez, who lives in Tijuana, Mexico, said a wall wouldn't stop him from crossing illegally into the United States, Agence France Presse reported.

The 30-year-old said he has sneaked into the U.S. several times and doesn't believe a border wall will be much of a deterrent for those who want to cross the border.

Four of the prototypes are concrete, the others are made from other materials. Two have "see-through" features, and one has an angular barrier at the top, which Trump told reporters would be the toughest to climb.

Sanchez, who can see the prototypes from his home near the border, told the AFP that the wall with the angular barrier might slow him down more than the other walls, but won't stop him.

"[Y]ou can get over it anyway," he said. "It's just a little more complicated. But people are always looking for a way to get over — out of necessity, not because we want to."

Sergio Tamai, who runs a migrant shelter in the border city of Mexicali and founder of immigrant advocacy group, Angels Without Borders, told the AFP that migrants will always find a way to cross the border.

"The desert. The mountains. Human traffickers. You can't take away that desire to cross to the other side. That desire to build a better life for your family is such a strong, powerful energy," Tamai said.

How much will the wall cost?

The cost of the border wall is expected to be up to $20 billion.

Trump campaigned on the promise to build a wall and has repeatedly said that Mexico will pay for it.

But Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto, who last month canceled his plans to visit the White House, has rejected the idea.

How many illegal immigrants are in the U.S.?

An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are living in the U.S.

Many of them are from Mexico and other Latin countries.

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