""Every American should see this." It is real and it is striking. In some places it stands 18 feet tall and looks like the gates of Mordor. In other places, it is barely 10 feet tall and looks like it was put together with a stapler. It runs from the Colorado River directly into the Pacific. It is big, intense and intimidating. And it is unfinished. Gaping holes are everywhere. Physically it’s confusing. Politically it’s puzzling. Ideologically it’s complicated. But for Dick and Ron, who both live within a few miles of the border, defending it is simply a matter of protecting themselves and preserving their own beliefs." -- Borderland

In Borderland, California Is a Place takes you to the wall that runs between the US and Mexico, to meet two men who have made it their life's work to guard it.  

In case you missed it, you can read Zachary Canepari's interview with The Atlantic here, and watch more stories from California Is a Place here.

Drea Cooper is a filmmaker and Zackary Canepari is a photographer. To see more videos and photographs from California Is a Place, visit  http://californiaisaplace.com/.