Is putting a wall on US-Mexico border just a really big band-aid? How successful could it be?

Question

Why not solve the sources of the problem for illegal immigration?

What's the problem? Well, why do people migrate? Generally because the new place offers something, and/or the former place doesn't have something. What do they not have?
Well, thats easy to answer. The US has better sanitation, public education, a stable economy, more jobs that pay much better, laws and regulations that protect the citizens, and so on.

If they had those, now wouldn't there be less illegal immigration?

Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.
But what good does is it if he can't afford a fishing net or a fishing rod?
Yes, it may be expensive up front to pay for a net (all of them were gold plated at the store), but cheaper in the long run when you don't have your own fish mysteriously disapear. Or your own fishing net itself disappears.

If you still stay with a border wall, then give me a good explanation. Or do you have another solution?

Oh, and for those of you who say don't support illegal immigrants at all, they're the ones who may turn to crime. Remember the gangs, who can ruin cities.

No matter what, we will have to pay in money. There's no way around that. The question is, how do we use that money?

Answer 1

Take a look at who is gettng the contracts to build it....Halliburton sound familiar? Still think the wall is there to stop illegal immigration? It is there to reward the President's patrons.

Answer 2

The wall will never be built, the US is just going through the motions to placate the neo/cons before the 2008 election. They are planning to build 800 miles of wall for a 2,000 mile long border. I guess Bush and Cheney drew up the plans while Duck hunting,!

Answer 3

Bullets are cheaper and buzzards need to eat.

What part of our being ''invaded'' do you not understand?
I live in New Mexico,these mutts are wiping us out and you want to quibble about how to stop it,considering the numbers of mutts already here,this is crisis territory.

Answer 4

spending money on a wall is a waste of time. How dare we tell the communists to tear down the Berlin Wall and then we put one up. Sure there are illegals that cross over, but perhaps more should be done in the way of diplomacy. This is a country of immigrants and laws to need to be rewritten, but putting up a fence is a waste of money! They'll find a way to get through!

Answer 5

NAFTA back-fired on us, and these countries that these illegals are coming from are being taken over by cheaper produce from the States. Mexico is not the only country exporting its citizens to us, there are other central american countries dumping these people on us.
Its not an issue of teaching people to fish, as they already know how to maintain a livelihood in their home country...they have just been pressured out. NAFTA isn't the only culprit, but it certainly is one we never saw coming (actually, a lot of people did but Clinton moved forward anyway). These countries that the illegals hail from also have rampant government corruption. They have naturally high unemployment and high inflation, due in large part to the cronyism at work within their respective economies.
Now, the wall will help, but we will need mine fields, concertina wire and machine-gun towers...that way this wall will resemble the Berlin Wall it is designed after.

Answer 6

A fish analogy;
All US citizens benefit from fish, they are healthy for you to eat and expensive.
1) All legal citizens can not afford to eat fish.
2) Lobster accompanies wealth
3) Wealth saves money from hiring illegals.
4) Those of us that can not buy fish can not hire illegals, nor do we have rental property income from illegal’s either. But since all of the rental property is not “lobster” material, and not in the landlords neighborhood, the rest of us must live with illegal’s as our next door neighbor?

Ps, I use to have a fish tank because it was relaxing, but the fish multiplied so fast they ate each other.


Answer to you question; If I had money, I would buy fish.

Answer 7

I live in Tucson.

Do you pro-fence people have a clue what the land is like down here in Southern Arizona? This ain't Kansas or Texas where the ground is flat as a board.

The US-Mexico border in AZ is crossed by enormous mountain ranges, canyons, gullies, and washes. Building and maintaining a fence down here is a very stupid idea indeed. I seriously doubt you could do it no matter how much money you threw at it.

If you don't believe me, I invite all of you pro-fencers down here to see for yourselves. I suggest you all come sometime in July or August. You will love it.

Answer 8

Hmmm... yeh.. the wall alone wont work.. so we need to put electified barbed wire behind it.. make sure it stretches from the Sea near California all the way to the sea on the other side of Texas...
Then place a mile or so long field of land mines behind that...Then infared sensors behind the land mine field...then a row of tanks behind the infared sensors....then strategically place snipers on the other side of the tanks....
and after all that.....
BIG SIGNS... that say ... "WELCOME TO AMERICA!"
As for changing the Mexican corruption so they wouldnt come here for jobs.... GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!...
Youd have better luck convincing the Mullahs in Iran to convert to Christianity!

Answer 9

While you are correct that if Mexico and other countries in Central and South America had better jobs etc that illegal immigration would be reduced, however it is not our problem to solve, it is theirs.

If I work hard and build a nice house and fill it with nice things, I will protect those things from those that are unwilling to work as hard and instead wish to take what is not theirs.

Answer 10

Better than what we have now, nothing.