Just one week in office, President Trump is already following through on his pledge to address illegal immigration. His January 25th executive order called for the construction of a wall along the entire length of the US-Mexico border. While he is right to focus on the issue, there are several reasons why his proposed solution will unfortunately not lead us anywhere closer to solving the problem.
First, the wall will not work. Texas already started building a border fence about ten years ago. It divided people from their own property across the border, it deprived people of their land through the use of eminent domain, and in the end the problem of drug and human smuggling was not solved.
Second, the wall will be expensive. The wall is estimated to cost between 12 and 15 billion dollars. You can bet it will be more than that. President Trump has claimed that if the Mexican government doesn’t pay for it, he will impose a 20 percent duty on products imported from Mexico. Who will pay this tax? Ultimately, the American consumer, as the additional costs will be passed on. This will of course hurt the poorest Americans the most.
Third, building a wall ignores the real causes of illegal border crossings into the United States. Though President Trump is right to prioritize the problem of border security, he misses the point on how it can be done effectively and at an actual financial benefit to the country rather than a huge economic drain.
The solution to really addressing the problem of illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and the threat of cross-border terrorism is clear: remove the welfare magnet that attracts so many to cross the border illegally, stop the 25 year US war in the Middle East, and end the drug war that incentivizes smugglers to cross the border.
The various taxpayer-funded programs that benefit illegal immigrants in the United States, such as direct financial transfers, medical benefits, food assistance, and education, cost an estimated $100 billion dollars per year. That is a significant burden on citizens and legal residents. The promise of free money, free food, free education, and free medical care if you cross the border illegally is a powerful incentive for people to do so. It especially makes no sense for the United States government to provide these services to those who are not in the US legally.
Likewise, the 40 year war on drugs has produced no benefit to the American people at a great cost. It is estimated that since President Nixon declared a war on drugs, the US has spent more than a trillion dollars to fight what is a losing battle. That is because just as with the welfare magnet, there is an enormous incentive to smuggle drugs into the United States.
We already know the effect that ending the war on drugs has on illegal smuggling: as more and more US states decriminalize marijuana for medical and recreational uses, marijuana smuggling from Mexico to the US has dropped by 50 percent from 2010.
Finally, the threat of terrorists crossing into the United States from Mexico must be taken seriously, however once again we must soberly consider why they may seek to do us harm. We have been dropping bombs on the Middle East since at least 1990. Last year President Obama dropped more than 26,000 bombs. Thousands of civilians have been killed in US drone attacks. The grand US plan to “remake” the Middle East has produced only misery, bloodshed, and terrorism. Ending this senseless intervention will go a long way toward removing the incentive to attack the United States.
I believe it is important for the United States to have secure borders, but unfortunately President Trump’s plan to build a wall will end up costing a fortune while ignoring the real problem of why people cross the borders illegally. They will keep coming as long as those incentives remain.
Typical. A barrier is the first step to ending illegals and drugs. Welfare reform doesn’t and can’t stop illegals entry. What the hell do wars have to do with drug trafficking and illegals? Ron Paul demonstrates why he is as relevant to the solutions this country needs as Obama and his ilk.
I used to revere this guy but he is such an idealist he no longer makes sense in the practical world where real people live.
Do you lock the door to your house, Ron? I bet it cost money for that door and a thief with a drug habit isn’t going to see it as a barrier. Unless we get rid of the need for thieves to steal, keeping the door to your house locked is just an expensive solution that won’t really solve the underlying problem.
Plus it keeps your neighbor in the back from getting to the barbecue at the house across the street from you. Why do you wish to keep people from traveling freely?
Come on. Of course, walls work or else there’d be no walls anywhere.
It’s a good life, HSF. No blisters, no punching a clock. Someone’s got to keep them borders open and that free trade flowing. Pretending’s not really bad, is it? Fiscal Conservative: Ron Paul Won’t Attend CPAC Without $50K Fee | Politics | US News
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2013/02/15/fiscal-conservative-ron-paul-wont-attend-cpac-without-50k-fee
CLOSE THE BORDER WITH THE US ARMY … POSSE COMATATUS sp SAYS NO TROOPS INSIDE THE USA, SO JUST TAKE THE FIRST MILE OR SO FROM MEXICO FOR OUR ARMY TO STOP EVERYONE …
THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT SHOULD BE SHOOT FIRST AND DON’T EVEN BOTHER TO ASK QUESTIONS LATER …
ALSO A 100 PERCENT TAX ON FUNDS BEING FUNNELED BY ILLEGALS ( AND LEGALS TOO ) BACK TO MEXICO AND OTHER COUNTRIES … WESTERN UNION WOULD CRY ABOUT THAT ONE !
i.e. CLOSE THE BORDER PHYSICALLY AND ELECTRONICALLY !
WE OWE MEXICO NOTHING ! WE OWE NOTHING TO ANYONE ! EXCEPT THE TWENTY TRILLION !
Mexico is building a wall on its S. border.
Israel is building a wall to keep out Syrians.
Jordan is building a massive wall.
Many nation states in EU are building walls.
I’d bet there are more walls.
Why walls – they WORK. In 95, 96, and 97, 1/2 million illegals were crossing our S. border but once Bill Clinton built a wall from the ocean to 325 miles inland, the number of illegals dropped to the thousands. BIG, BIG difference a wall makes.
Land mines and mini guns.
Casa Depot probably sells tall ladders.
Maybe we should hire the Israelis to build a wall for us and man security points, theirs seem to be pretty effective and the terrain isn’t all that different than ours.
It seems to me both a wall and cutting off the teet as Ron suggests would be the ideal solution.
Everify all jobs turns off the jobs magnet. He forgot that one.
Illegals can still work doing maid work, landscaping, and other manual jobs for cash.
To stop illegal immigration takes a combination approach, such as:
#1 A build a wall
#2 Require IDs to keep illegal immigrants from voting
#3 Tax all cash transfers to Mexico (Western Union, cough, cough)
#4 No benefits to illegal immigrants (For example, if an illegal is hospitalized, we stabilize them and send them back to their country of origin.)
THAT THE IDEA !