Hot Topic (9/21): US-Mexico border fence...is it doing any good?
From Christian Science Monitor:
Billions for a US-Mexico border fence, but is it doing any good?
The cost for adding 600 miles of new barriers is $2.4 billion so far. The new fencing has been breached more than 3,000 times, a government report finds.
Los Angeles - Some $2.4 billion has been spent since 2005 on a still-unfinished project to erect more than 600 miles of new fence along the US-Mexico border – a finding that is being met with surprise, anger, and consternation by immigrant groups and at least some border residents.
A report, released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), also says $6.5 billion will be needed to maintain the new fencing over the next 20 years. So far, it has been breached 3,363 times, requiring $1,300 for the average repair.
The US Border Patrol, for its part, agrees with some findings but says several conclusions are unknowable because building the wall has no precedent. And the agency defends the new fencing as effective at deterring illegal immigration.
The report has stirred a range of reactions.
"When our nation is in the midst of an economic crisis, we wonder how many teacher salaries, police officers, miles of road, or school books could be financed instead of throwing large amounts of money for bricks to fix a problem that requires serious, long-term solutions," says Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, in a statement.
Dawn Garner, who lives on a ranch on the US-Mexico border in Naco, Ariz., says spending is so high because workers who are building the fence use local hotels for accommodations and food.
"They should live in tents near the wall and cook their own food, and that would save incredible amounts of money," says Ms. Garner, who reports that 40 illegal immigrants a day cross her small ranch. Money could be saved if the National Guard built the fence and if the Border Patrol itself maintained it, she suggests in a phone interview.
Despite the price tag of maintaining the border fence, authorities have not found a way to determine whether it is helping to halt illegal immigration, the GAO report says.
"While they [the GAO findings] have highlighted some risks and their factual statements are correct, we are not as pessimistic as they are," says Mark Borkowski, executive director of the Secure Border Initiative, part of US Customs and Border Protection. Trying to analyze a new endeavor like this fence is like trying to calculate the costs and benefits of planes in combat while they're still on the drawing board, he says.
He acknowledges that attempts to assess the efficacy of the new fence are sketchy. The Naco area where Garner lives may be more porous than other parts of Arizona, such as Yuma or Sasabe.
Still, he says, "it is very clear to the Border Patrol that this has been very effective in cutting down illegal migrant traffic into the US."
The 600 additional miles of fence, started under the Bush administration, have seen several delays and cost increases, which Borkowski says are to be expected in such a massive construction project.
Until the various types of border barriers are in place, states the GAO report, the Border Patrol will not know if the added security measures are working.
US Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) of Mississippi, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, calls the fence a "serious challenge."
Wayne Cornelius, director emeritus of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California in San Diego, says he has conducted 4,000 interviews with illegal immigrants and potential migrants from Jalisco, Zacatecas, Oaxaca, and Yucatan in the past five years. His assessment:
"The existing border fortifications do not keep undocumented migrants out of the US. Not even half are being apprehended on any given trip to the border, and of those who are apprehended, the success rate on the second or third try is upwards of 95 percent."
"There is no reason to believe that additional investments in the fence project – both physical fencing and the new "virtual fence" – will create an effective deterrent," he says.
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What do you think about the border fence being constructed? Is it worth the money?
How do you suggest the United States deal with the issue of illegal immigration?
I think it's pretty obvious that putting up a giant fence was an idiotic plan from the start. These illegal immigrants are desperate. They come here because they believe they have no other choice if they want to spare their families from a life of misery and hunger. If I ever got to that point, I wouldn't be deterred by anything, let alone a really big fence.
Being FROM TX, i can say NO its not working. They cross the border, move anywhere they can get cheap land (or squat w/o anyone noticing) and stay there. They work jobs for less than min. wage, taking jobs from us who pay taxes, and send the money back to mexico.It hasnt gotten better with a fence. and Srsly, a fence? like that was a smart plan in the first place.
What do you think about the border fence being constructed? Is it worth the money? Not really, if they aren't going to enforce immigration laws, a fence does not good. They walk over the bridge into the Us every day.
How do you suggest the United States deal with the issue of illegal immigration?
Enforce the laws we have. Here in Tulsa there was a huge protest, when some bill that would fine businesses money if they used illegals passed. There were so many there protesting. They were on the news talking about how they are illegal, yet noon came from immigration to do anything about it. We have a big problem here with illegals getting in accidents with no insurance and when the police come, all they do is give them a ticket and the other party is out of luck. I have personally seen that many times.
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A fence will not stop everyone, will it slow down the amt of people who cross the border eventually when it is all built? Who knows... will the border patrol get funding needed to be able to properly staff and supply the border patrol with so they may possibly catch some of the immigrants who are slowed down by it.
I do not think that their is anyway a fence is going to stop it from happening. For some reason immagrants would rather risk their lives crossing borders than risk their lives making their own countries better so they can live prosperously in them.
It does seem a lot of money to waste, the building of a fence, but at least it is something... the immigration laws are not otherwise being enforced and it is nice to see at least something being done.
Quoting Mergath:
I think it's pretty obvious that putting up a giant fence was an idiotic plan from the start. These illegal immigrants are desperate. They come here because they believe they have no other choice if they want to spare their families from a life of misery and hunger. If I ever got to that point, I wouldn't be deterred by anything, let alone a really big fence.
Those fences are as useful as tits on a bore hog. These immigrants want in and they will do what ever it takes to get in. I heard the other day on a George Lopez stand up show there are 47 million Mexicans in the United States now. This is a staggering number. I knew it was large but not this large and George was encouraging them to stand up and fight for whats there's. I like George Lopez he is funny but I did not find this funny. There are over 11 million Mexican Americans born in the us every yr.I believe if you don't know Spanish it might be time to take a course.
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I think we should do as Mexico does with their southern border. It would only seem fair, right?
Just one article, want more just google...
Eight Year Old Girl Given "Catastrophe Award" By Teacher
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on Sep. 21, 2009 at 2:19 AM