Do you think the fence at the border is a stupid idea?

Question

As far as keeping out illegal immigrants. If the government was serious about this, couldn't they just fine or otherwise punish companies that hire illegals to deter the activity?

I didn't mean to come off as some xenophobe...I was just working on something for the fence and it struck me how futile it seemed...

But isn't also true that illegal immigrants take the jobs of only the poorest Americans? Not that this should be ignored, but I find it odd that these (poor) people are rarely talked about, unless it serves some political purpose.

Answer 1

Your assessment is as insightful as it is correct. The problem is with all the Americans who hire the illegals. The illegals are just trying to have a decent life like anyone else. The fence, soon to be a wall, will accomplish nothing; not even the goal for which it is intended. The Great Wall of China didn't keep the Mongols out; Hadrian's Wall didn't keep the scots out; and the Berlin Wall couldn't even keep the East Germans in: the wall concept is a naive solution to a complex problem. But it sells well to the uneducated and the fearful.

Answer 2

I think it is a stupid idea. If they were serious about checking the tide of illegals, they could actually do better if they seriously followed all the existing laws and rules to curb illegal aliens.

But until the government is willing to address the problem, especially the enforcement of existing immigration laws, then a fence will just be a placebo.

Also, it is my opinion that when you consider the number of illegals working here in conjunction with a low unemployment rate, that means there are jobs enough for a significant increase in LEGAL immigration quotas, and an increase in LEGAL temporary workers.

But until we actually have rational and logical legislation, no fence, no border patrol will be able to solve the issue.

Answer 3

I've always maintained that in order for a wall to be effective it would have to be 50 feet high, go 50 feet under ground and stick out a mile on each coast. Even then it won't stop people from flying in on a tourist visa, walking across the Canadian boarder, taking boats to Florida, etc. The best you will do with a wall is reduce the number of illegal immigrants by about half. I agree that that if we want to stop illegal immigration the incentives to come here must be eliminated. A good way to start is by punishing employers who hire illegal aliens.

Answer 4

No, it's working in the San Diego area very well. It should stretch all along the southern border. Besides, it'll take quite a long time to identify all the companies who are hiring illegals. Some may not even be on the company books, since there' s proof many are not paying taxes. Cut off the border and cut off the welfare payments... that should calm it down a bit. No free medical either

Answer 5

I think it is a great idea. I don't think illegal immigrants will stop on their own. If it does however, prove to be a waste of money, then I am willing for us to take that chance. Currently, American people are loosing work b/c of illegal immigrants. They just can't compete with the wages. Fining the companies that employ illegal immigrants is a great idea, but they have to be cought first, as alot of illegals work "under the table" which is cost effective for employers b/c they don't have to match the taxes.

Answer 6

A wall, a moat, a force field all good ideas but the only thing to stop the flow of illegals is in enforcing our laws.Penalize the employers,they already do,in AZ its $14,000.00 per illegal found to be hired,is it enforced,selectively,but not as it should be.
Bush says he has put the National Guard at our borders,but as of yesterday ,not one guard is on the border,they are in AZ learning how to guard the border not on it.and it will be months if not longer before they join our over worked,under paid and under supported Border Patrol Agents.I say get the Army home place them armed on our borders and get serious about illegal immigration.
Locate and deport all illegals,no amnesty for the criminals,no short cut for the anchor baby's mommas,send them and their children back to their countries.Close that out dated hole in our country's laws.
Another point is this why charge the business owner for the illegal act of a criminal,its like suing the gun maker for the use of its product used in a murder.In a business owner in AZ and I don't nor will I ever knowingly hire any one that is illegal.And for the person who said only the uneducated think a fence will work,do you have a fence around your own property to keep out intruders or your dogs in ? I do!......No its not a workable plan but if our laws were enforced then nothing else would be required.

Answer 7

Well, I read the news today and it sounds like they have some issues with really enforcing the laws. I think there's a lot of money behind the Senate bill, nevermind several conflicts of interest, and as a result I think that's what's going to get ram-rodded through over the will of The People, but of course we'll still end up PAYING for the consequences of the greed and incompetence, but what else is new...

Personally, I believe that a continuous border fence coupled with no-nonsense border enforcement, along with heavy punitive fines against companies that intentionally set out to employ illegals will have the most impact, a 3-sided plan that will effectively stop this illegal immigration movement and its' supporters dead in its' tracks. Our representatives et. al. are supposed to be working for the majority of the People, and so far as far as I can tell, the vast majority, 80% or better of any poll or survey you'd care to look at, says 'no illegal immigration'. The fact that this administration etc. don't seem to be listening points to a failure somewhere between the citizens and Congress...people need to write more, call more, participate more, even walk in civil protest against flawed policy and greed-over-law politics. The law already says that persons in the United States illegally are subject to penalty of law and deportation, it's time to enforce these laws and end the problem.

If Congress and the various and sundry enforcement entities out there fat-finger this one, you'll be reading about 40 million illegal immigrants in about 10 years time. And, most likely, you'll be reading about MORE crime, MORE drugs, and MORE serious border problems, I hate to sound negative about it but Congress just isn't causing me to have a whole lot of faith in them right now, like I said there's a lot of conflict of interest, if there was no money to be made by encouraging illegal immigration or 'guest workers' or what you may call it, there would be no illegal immigration.

America doesn't need slaves, or 'guest workers' or people in the shadows. Either emigrate legally, or forget it. If your business is going to go under because you can't afford your legal labor costs, chances are your business has OTHER problems besides the wages that need to be addressed.

Taxes: The more people that live in the United States, the more infrastructure will have to be built and maintained to support them. That means roads, schools, courts, jails, hospitals, the whole trip. Some people like all of this because it means 'growth'. Well, not all growth is positive. When you get to the point where in-fill has reached critical mass, bad things start to happen, you have to think about garbage, sewage, fresh water, electricity, transportation, all of these things and MORE, oh, and increased law enforcement costs, special this, special that, something else, and you end up with spiraling tax rates, which is what's happening to California right now. Los Angeles alone was said to have spent some 1 billion dollars on public services which will never be paid back. These are serious costs. My view is, long-term it costs MORE to have illegal immigrants than to enforce the laws. Neither option is free, and a decision needs to be made as to what's really going to happen, here.

Maybe the problem is they need to fire more people, the people that run these programs,that are supposed to be taking care of business etc. It helped NASA, maybe more of these agencies need to be 'under new management' or something...and maybe it's time to ask some of our senators to go ahead and retire too.
When you're 75, your mind isn't as sharp as when you're 30, or 40, or even 60, and some of these guys are getting right on up there. Can't have Congress turn into a senior citizens' home...
so, be sure to vote in November, get some fresh minds in there that aren't afraid to make a decision, know their issues, and are committed to representing the majority of americans rather than some businesses that profit by breaking the law.

Answer 8

No, I don't. I did when I first heard about it, it just 'felt wrong'. Then I looked into it, and now I am in favor of it. I think we need to secure our borders, and fences, while not perfect, have been proven to seriously impede traffic to at least bottlenecks. In urban areas it is too easy to pop over a fence and disappear into the interior, for example, without a serious security fence.

Employment is one of the magnets that need to be dismantled, but education and other benefits are at least as big of a draw, and they need to be dismantled as benefits as well. In addition, sanctuary laws need to be forbidden. It is not that these people are hard to catch, it is that they are actively being enabled.

There are way too many and they are ruining our schools and services for our own people. It has nothing to do with xenophobia. We just do not have unlimited education resources, and have long ago reached our limit.

Answer 9

I think that a fence will prove to be a waste of money.. If the drug lords want to get their drugs across a concrete fence, they would just blow a hole in the fence.. or if a metal fence, they would cut thru it. There are other ways and like you mentioned, punishing dearly the people who hire them AND the U.S. Government is the biggest fault in this when they grant American citizenship to their babies and when the U.S. Government gives them social security benefits, free schooling, free medical, etc. THUS.. the U.S. Government is a WORSE offender than the people who hire them.

Answer 10

it would want to slow them down. i do not comprehend how Mexico dropped the ball. We lost our jobs to the Mexicans. that they had a probability to make an excellent form of money. in very few short years they lost all of it to Comminist China. What exceeded off. Ross Perot became precise at the same time as reported "There can be a noisy sucking sound as our jobs went to Mexico." no individual anticipated the fairly a lot on the spot lack of the Mexican jobs to Communist China. The Mexicans construct a more desirable helpful product than Chins seem on the Chevrolet Avalance. no longer tremendous yet sturdy.