Now that talks are under way in Washington to iron out a proposal for bipartisan immigration reform, the issue promises to draw sustained attention.

The success or failure of immigration reform will depend in part on how comfortable politicians and the public feel about the security of the U.S.-Mexico border . But as the Washington Office on Latin America , the National Journal and others have pointed out, there's a lot of misunderstanding about the border and how secure it is.

Many immigration proposals are based on flawed premises. Is illegal immigration increasing or decreasing? How much does the federal government already spend on enforcement? Is violence spilling over from Mexico? The answer to many of these basic questions are out there and hopefully will drive the immigration debate more than fear can.

Check out 6 of the most common misconceptions about the U.S.-Mexico border in the slideshow above. Got any more? Let us know in the comments below.