COLUMN: WHY THE BORDER WALL WON'T WORK
If there was any doubt that the $1.9 billion that President Bush wants to spend to build a wall and post 6,000 more troops along the U.S.-Mexico border will not do much to solve the immigration problem, a new study shows that about half of all undocumented workers in the United States have entered the country legally and overstayed their visas. Read the column in The Miami Herald.
posted by Andres Oppenheimer at 10:59 AM
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6 Comments:
You wrote: “The only way to prevent more Latin Americans from moving to the United States in coming years will be to start narrowing the income gap between the United States and its southern neighbors.” Hooray – finally someone in the mainstream press advocates for what will work and what is right for us to do!
We Americans have often looked for the “quick policy fix” which frequently results in a waste of human and monetary resources. Unfortunately for us, real solutions tend to be unsexy or politically unpalatable.
Thanks for your column – I read it frequently.
It is ironic to me that this entire illegal immigrant debate is based on the premise that the United States must do something.
Where is the responsibility of the corruption-infested, hypocritical government in Mexico that fiercely protects its southern border with central america but provides maps for the illegals to cross into the USA?
Can someone please give me an answer to that? Please?
And as to your conclusion that a wall/fence won't work because 1/2 the 12 million illegal immigrants came with visas: That leaves 6 million who still crossed where a wall/fence might have prevented them.
And, oh by the way, the wall is working in Israel. So don't knock it until we try it.
Building a wall, increasing ICE/boarder agents, stiffer penalties for employers who hire illegals and most important of all enforce laws (including deportation orders) at all levels of government will dramatically reduce the amount of illegal immigrants in this country.
Slapping on the U.S. the responsibility to improve the economic environment of Mexico, or any other Latin American country, is ridiculous. How do you suggest the income gap between the US and Mexico is reduced? Are Mexicans, in Mexico, entitled to U.S. taxpayer hand-outs? Should we pay them to stay in Mexico? Should the U.S. amend NAFTA and self-impose tariffs on our exports to Mexico. Maybe add that money as a benefit to any remittance made from an illegal to their families in Mexico.
The reality is narrowing the income gap alone will never stop the influx of illegals to the U.S. They will come for political reasons, they will come for better schools, they will come for the safety of their families, they will come for better healthcare. The list is endless.
The grass is always greener on the U.S. side.
Then lets build the wall to keep the other half out that does not come here legally.
Oye Oppenhiemier, porque siempre estas echandole al pais en caul estas viviendo y defendiendo los Mejicanos? Eres un mamerto.
Dear Lili,
With all due respect, to say the United States is to blame for illegal immigration is symptomatic of a culture that blames the USA for everything.
We're to blame for 9-11 because we made the muslims crazy by defending Israel's right to exist.
We're partially to blame for the Tsunami in Indonesia because we didn't fund early detection devices.
We're partially to blame for everybody's bad day because, what the heck, the USA is a great scapegoat. Give me a break.
Do you think Mexico is to blame for the immigration problem on its southern border? Will you please say that or do you simply lay blame on the USA and nowhere else?
As for your other rebutal points ... get back in the kitchen and cook something and leave serious subjects to insightful people.
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