Physical barriers make it a bit more difficult for people to cross over than if there were none. We can't make a serious critique of Trump's stupidity if we engage in extreme points like he does.
This is the problem. Trump said he was going to build a 35 foot concrete wall and that the wall would END illegal immigration. He wants 5 billion dollars to START building THAT wall. There is the ridiculous plan that Democrats in Congress have to resist. Trump was given 25 billion for border security in the 2017 appropriations bill and has spent only 6% of that money in more than a year.
The question isn't whether border fences work. The question is will Trump's border wall END illegal immigration? Also, is it worth the money to invest in Trump's wall? The answer to both questions is a resounding NO. Smugglers and desperate people will figure out ways to get past the wall like they do the sections of border barrier that already exist. There is nothing unique or special about Trump's wall plan. The wall is expected to cost 30 billion to complete and another 25 billion in maintenance in the first 7 years. That is 55 billion dollars for a minimal effect on overall border security. This from the so called party of fiscal responsibility. That is the ridiculous plan.
The money would be much better spent on improving the processing capabilities of the immigration system, on technology and more staff, and most importantly on working toward solutions in the countries where the immigration is coming from. Money spent stabilizing the countries which unfortunately the US has helped in destabilizing will slow down emigration thus slowing immigration. Like the drug war in reverse (which the US has bungled as well). To win the drug war you have to end the drug war. Work on demand not on supply, make drugs legal and regulate them, use the revenue for treatment and harm reduction, take the power away from gangs and cartels. With immigration, helping to fix the economies in Central American countries makes them livable and helps people not feel like they have to leave their homes to survive.
Barriers at the border do deter some people. They work, but they are not the solution to immigration, especially in the way the idiot Trump is talking about his stupid wall. Trump is relying of fear, xenophobia, and racism to try to get a political victory for 2020. For this reason and the fact that it would be a tremendous waste of money that could be used for many other purposes, Democrats must not give him ANY money for the stupid wall.
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