Now the federal govt. is telling us that we don't have a say so when it comes to the border wall. This topic needs to be addressed. I find myself ignoring the issue because of how ridiculous it sounds.
Ignoring it or not this thing is going to get built this coming fall. Question: Where is the wall on the canadian border? The land in Arizona is mostly owned by the federal govt. But the land here in Tx is owned by private owners. That's the difference between the land in Arizona to Texas.
Newsweek has some insight on the border wall:
About a third of unauthorized residents in this country don't sneak across the border; they simply overstay their visas. In addition, more migrants who do cross at the border are coming in with false papers, by boat or through underground tunnels like the one found recently at San Ysidro [south of San Diego.]. If not accompanied by other control measures that focus on employers, for example, the current initiative will simply redirect more of the flow to these other channels.
Depending on what estimates you read, the total cost of building the fence could be between $2.1 and $7 billion.
Do these types of fences decrease smuggling?
No, they actually increase smuggling. The harder you make it for undocumented immigrants to cross the border on their own accord, the more they have to rely on professional smugglers and organized criminals who can provide them with the false papers they need to enter the country.
Won’t there always be illegal immigration as long as Mexico’s economy suffers?
Ultimately, the real challenge is to promote economic development and poverty reduction in Mexico. This is a long-term issue, and most of the burden falls on Mexico, but it would happen much faster if the United States and Canada offered to help.
On the one hand, Mexico will need to enact far-reaching reforms in its domestic economic policy, promote education, deregulate some public-sector enterprises, regulate its monopolies and provide better infrastructure—particularly in Mexico’s underdeveloped South.
On the other hand, explicitly addressing Mexico’s development as part of the NAFTA equation—either through general development programs or by working to promote development in specific migrant-sending communities—could help move toward a more equitable and integrated partnership between Canada, Mexico and the United States.
What are some of the environmental concerns about the fence?
The major environmental concern is that the construction of the fencing will contribute to ecological degradation in the already endangered and fragile desert ecosystems and riversheds of the border region.
Environmental organizations have had their hands tied because the Department of Homeland Security has had free range to prioritize border security over the environment, and there are virtually no legal channels to challenge the impacts of its projects along the border.
Here in San Diego, the DHS is essentially leveling a significant portion of the natural environment in order to complete 14 miles of fencing.
Symbolically, what does this fence represent to you?
For me, the fence symbolizes the past. From the Mongols to the cold war, people have tried to contain their fears and enemies with walls. At the end of the last century, we thought all the walls were going to come down.
Indeed, building walls and fortifying borders in the era of globalization and economic integration holds inherent contradictions and promises little in the way of effectiveness. Walls may be useful for blocking large, land-based armies, but are probably useless for combating terrorism.
We're in a new era with new problems, but we keep coming up with old solutions.
What do we do? The landowners will have to file a lawsuit. You think the jury is going to go in favor of the federal govt. Yeah right!
As for me and you? Pick up the phone and call or email your state rep or your senator and ask them to do something. If we keep ignoring this, the fall will be here in know time.
