US-Mexico Border Security: Human smuggling continues despite upgrades to border wall

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03:59

Now to America's border with Mexico. Construction is underway to upgrade parts of the existing border walls. US border agencies hope the improvements will help maintain the integrity of the border but as CGTN's Dan Williams reports, that might not be the case.

This is where the wall meets the sea in Tijuana, Mexico. In places, the structure stretches up some five and a half meters. But Pancho Lopez makes scaling the boundary look easy.

In seconds, he is sitting on top of the fence.

Today, he is helping a family from Central America cross the border in order for them to claim asylum with U.S. authorities.

A mother is helped up first. She pauses unsure whether she can continue. Before she is eased over the top carefully avoiding the razor wire.

A child follows. The father pushes while Pancho hauls him up before the father joins them at the top. A baby is passed through the fence. Within three minutes, the whole operation is complete. The family are on their way to meet border control.

PANCHO LOPEZ HUMAN SMUGGLER "The only thing I did is to help some people with their kids because they are crossing to the other side. They are going to ask for asylum. For what I see, when you go with your entire family, if they go with kids, I think they are giving them asylum."

Pancho does not describe himself as a smuggler or a coyote. Those, he says, are people who can charge thousands of dollars to help migrants reach a city undetected.

Pancho says he charges around 80 dollars a person for his services. Authorities, however, would call his actions criminal at any price.

DAN WILLIAMS TIJUANA "Well this is where the wall in Tijuana ends some 14 miles from the sea. It means this area here has become a key spot for traffickers."

Currently there are no plans to extend the wall through this area. In Tijuana, I meet Efren. His story demonstrates how quickly events can change at the hands of smugglers.

EFREN GALINDO GUEVARA MEXICAN RESIDENT "I paid a coyote 3,500 and he crossed me. We walked for about six days. He told us I'll be back, I am going to the rest room and he never did return."

After capture by authorities, Efren was released back into Mexico where he was then picked up by a gang, and held for 10,000 U.S. dollars' ransom.

"And what he did, he grabbed the knife and skinned me, cut all the sauce. I asked him, I said please take me. Get me out of this hole, please. I said I don't want to do this anymore."

I ask Efren if building the wall higher will stop the coyotes.

"Trump is going to build the wall higher, they are going to charge 9,000 to 13,14,15,000 American dollars to cross."

(ME): People are still going to cross.

"They are going to cross, it doesn't matter if you build it three stories, five stories, there's ladders there's ropes. And if they can't get that high, they'll dig tunnels."

The view that a wall won't have the desired effect is echoed by Pancho.

PANCHO LOPEZ HUMAN SMUGGLER "The people will try to find a way to get in, from one way or another. It doesn't matter if they put one thousand barriers."

As work continues on building new higher walls at costs projected into billions questions remain as to whether it's worth it. Dan Williams, CGTN, Tijuana.