Border Fence to cost $6.5B over 20 Years

U.S. government investigators say it will cost taxpayers $6.5 billion over the next 20 years to maintain the Mexican border fence.

But as the Obama administration realizes the long-term costs of the border fence, it does not have a way to evaluate whether this investment has helped control illegal entries into the U.S, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report.

The $6.5 billion price tag is in addition to the $2.4 billion that has already been spent to build fence segments along the U.S.-Mexico border. The fence is a Bush administration initiative that has faced several delays and cost increases.

The technology portion of the government's plan to secure the border continues to be delayed, the GAO report says.