Why build a wall when government failures are the problem? By: Centinel

Why build a wall when government failures are the problem?



By: Centinel

America is a country that tears down walls - not build them.
This is the primary reason I am against building a wall separating the USA and Mexico. Before you go off on me you should know that I am against illegal immigration. My idea of fixing the problem is different than building a wall. We should remove the incentives that the illegals have for coming here.
Had to stop that knee - jerk reaction.
Many of us older folks, spent their youth watching news reels of people trying to escape their countries walls. Who can forget the young people fleeing East Germany and a woman gunned down, short of making it to freedom on the other side. I know people in South Korea that look across the DMZ knowing they have family on the other side, and hoping that they may see them again some day. The image at the Korean DMZ unification ceremony of a son seeing his mother for the first time in almost 60 years and she not recognizing him is heartbreaking. Those images are what stick in my mind when people bring up building walls, and the human damage governments can cause. Remember Reagan taunting Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall”. Reagan was a unique president, tough but he also understood the human side of policy. America was the country that had no walls, everyone wanted to live here. The liberty loving America I grew up with would shutter at the thought of building a wall. Consequently, the Liberty loving America I knew wouldn’t put up with the abuses of the illegal immigrants in our system. Building a symbolic wall is one of the most useless exercises this country could do. First, security would have to patrol it. Where parts of the wall currently exist, it has doors cut into it, tunnels under it, sections missing, etc. Big government options fail to take in human ingenuity. People who want to get through that wall will find a way. Coastlines are impossible to seal with today's technology. Open shoreline on both coasts and a long border with Canada allows the most illiterate terrorist a way in.
Here comes the question:
If we don’t build a wall, how do we keep illegals from crossing into America?
Answer:
Remove the incentives.
Illegals are receiving government benefits through our system. When illegals receive benefits there is a documentation trail. Why do we have all these government agencies not doing their job? At the time Social Security receives a benefits request citizenship should be a requirement. If the person is here illegally, instead of getting a check they should get a knock on the door from ICE and a nice ride to the border.
Problem solved.
What we have instead is a government that knows where these illegals are, and gives them medical care and our taxpayer benefits. It costs less to deport them than pay them. This carelessness perpetrated by our government is one reason this country is going broke. Why don't we send them back? Because it is government policy not to. Building a wall won't fix this problem. If a person gets free health care, a job under the table, a free school for their kids, and EBT and maybe housing subsidies why should they go back home? I can't blame them for coming here, if we are that stupid to take care of them, then why not come? Constructing a wall is a simplistic solution that appeals to an electorate weary of the government ignoring them. For the authoritarian running on a populist platform, it is a carrot to offer for power.
Should we patrol the border? Yes, of course. We have manned vehicles, drones, night vision and all kinds of technology and manpower to get the job done.
Give border patrol the tools and the authority and the border will be secure. There is no doubt.
Building a wall is a great idea if this was 350 AD and hordes of Mongols were trying to sack our cities.
Instead, we have a situation more complicated than that. One created by our government. For years, Mexicans crossed the border and worked here, and they would go back home and apply another time to work. What changed? Government freebies.

A wall will do nothing but make the crowd happy for a while, need upkeep and may keep people in one day.
Building a wall is a colossal waste of time and money trying to solve a problem that government created with freebies. Government is not responsibly watching over our money.
Instead of falling for the easy answer, let's fix the problem this time.