U.S. officials and lawmakers eager to help President-elect Trump make good on his campaign promise to "build a wall" on the Mexico border are looking to the hastily built fence Israel constructed in just two years to stop the flow of illegal immigrants across its southern border.

The "barrier" fence between Israel and Egypt was built from 2011 to 2013 after thousands of Africans surged in, similar to what is happening on the U.S.-Mexico border now. The fence is made of hard-to-cut metal rods, topped with razor wire and enhanced with technology to identify break-ins.

"It's a very effective fence," said Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Johnson Discusses Border Security with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu https://t.co/1BJEWTYU5x pic.twitter.com/Gx50WK4K5J — Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) December 20, 2016



Johnson, whose panel must approve Trump's wall, just returned from Israel where he toured the border and studied the wall. He left impressed.

"They had, like we have, an uncontrolled flow coming into the southern border. And they said they had to stop it," the Wisconsin Republican told Secrets.

An Israeli bulldozer works at the site where Israel builds a barrier along the border with Egypt in southern Israel in 2012. Magal S3, the Israeli company that has built high-tech fences along the country's volatile borders is now trying to build a bridge to the Trump administration, hoping to use its experience to cash in on his plan to seal the border with Mexico. AP Photo.

"There were thousands of primarily Africans coming through the southern border. It's now down to the teens. And they did it in two years, spending about $400 million on a 260-kilometer fence, that's about 163 miles. That's about $2.5 million per mile. A very effective fence. You can see through it. It's basically built with rebar and razor wire," he added.

"They have about a five-minute response time. Nobody can use a wire cutter. You can cut through the fence, but it's going to take some time. You'd need some serious tools to cut through this fence. You can also see through it, which is important," he said.

The relatively low cost and speed of construction is a big plus, he said.

And the Israeli company that built it, Magel Security Systems, which has completed hundreds of projects in the United States and more worldwide, is ready to go.

Johnson, an advocate for more fencing, said the Border Patrol also wants a longer and better barrier. The U.S. has a partial wall, but much of it is outdated and solid, preventing border agents from seeing the other side.

The senator said a see-through fence is key. "You want to see what's happening so that you can respond. The fence stops people from quickly entering, gives border patrol agents time to respond, and as a result it's been incredibly successful," he said.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com