Introduction
The United States of America is arguably the most developed country in the world. Therefore, many people around the globe dream about staying and working in the States. With this in mind, many people, especially from less developed countries, work day and night to secure a chance of living in there. As a result, the number of immigrants lining up to American embassies throughout the world to request visas increases each day.
Unfortunately, not everybody can secure a visa to America due to the laid down requirements. As a result, many people opt for entering America illegally mostly through the Mexican border. Some of these people are criminals and they end up jeopardizing the security of the U.S. It has, therefore, become paramount for the government of the U.S. to take radical measures in securing its borders and by extending its citizenry. These may include coming up with modes of maximizing border security, as well as sanctioning the Mexican government.
Disadvantages of the Porous Mexican Border
Migration in itself is not harmful to economies. It helps in taking labor to areas where it is required. However, what occurs at the Mexican border does not do good to the American economy at all. To begin with, the rate of organized crimes has been increasing over recent years in America. Arguably, it can be proved that criminal activities are planned in Mexico and executed in the U.S. On the same note, the number of people murdered by violent criminals has been on the rise due to the ”porous” Mexican border (Kussman, 2011).
Notably, drug trafficking is a big problem in Mexico. Drug cartels are rampant to the extent that they highly influence the economy. The traffickers find the U.S. lucrative for their illegal business. Due to the ”porous” border, drug cartels have been able to bring in various illegal substances to the U.S. thus increasing the problem of drug abuse (Warner, 2010). Similarly, money laundering which is prevalent in Mexico has found its way into the U.S. and this gives financial institutions sleepless nights.
Another very significant effect of the porous Mexican border is that it increases the number of unemployed people in the U.S. Each day, a huge number of illegal young immigrants troop into the U.S. from Mexico in search of employment opportunities. However, due to a lack of legal documents, these people do not find employment. Even when they do, they are paid wages that cannot sustain them. In the end, some of them turn to criminal activities thus increasing insecurity in the U.S.
Erection of a Security Network
It has been noted that since the increase of border enforcement, the number of illegal immigrants arrested while trying to cross the border has reduced significantly. Therefore, if the proposed security wall is completed, the number of illegal immigrants can further decrease. According to LaTour (2007), “Having close to a million illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America crossing this boundary each year, staying here permanently and bringing in countless numbers of relatives, is unacceptable and expensive to this nation in many ways”(p. 193). The proposed 370 miles high-security fence on the American-Mexican border is mainly aimed at warding-off the illegal immigrants.
Also, the wall will help in reducing the problem of drug trafficking into America which is rampant in Mexico. On the same note, the wall is not meant to deter or hinder legal immigration because anybody using the correct channels will still be allowed into America. Similarly, the problem of immigration and drug trafficking is a tall order for the Mexican government to control. It is, therefore, prudent that the American government takes the initiative of protecting its borders (LaTour, 2007).
It is in this regard that President Obama was agitating for the deployment of additional 20,000 security personnel to fortify border security (Wood, 2012). Additionally, it has been suggested that an electronic entry and exit verification system be introduced on the Mexican border. The system will ensure that a vetting process is installed to confirm that people entering the country are recognized by the immigration department. This is very crucial because it will help in beefing up border security. Such drastic measures are necessary because a chunk of illegal immigrants hail from South America and get into the United States via Mexico (Marrow, 2011). Consequently, anyone who wants to get into the United States via the Mexican border must be kept at bay, regardless of the individual’s creed, color or race.
Disengagement and Sanctions
Besides putting up stringent security measures at the border, the U.S. government should stop the idea of engaging with the Mexican government and consider implementing some sanctions. Corruption is so rampant in Mexico that some government officials are compromised by criminals. Consequently, measures taken by the two governments to combat insecurity are sometimes leaked to criminals who come up with ways of escaping the net. Similarly, it is known that other government officials are members of drug and other criminal cartels and the government of Mexico is reluctant to deal with that (Avenger & Shmindhelser, 2008). The only way the US can handle this is by sanctioning the Mexican government. Mexico has to be compelled to root out corrupt and criminal people from the government.
Moreover, the government of Mexico is more concerned about its security than the security of the U.S. On more than one occasion, the government of Mexico states that it is willing to cooperate with the U.S. government in measures taken to combat crime in Mexico. This is a clear indication that the Mexican government is only concerned with its affairs (Warner, 2010). We cannot afford to use our taxpayers’ money to solve a problem for a foreign country when we have the same problem at home.
Critics’ Arguments
Regrettably, even in places where the wall was built, there have been instances of illegal immigrants crossing the border to America. People drill tunnels, build ladders and even use hacksaws to cut the wall in some places and use these channels to cross the border. On the same note, people have just changed their routes and are now using some new and more dangerous ways of getting into America. The new routes include the sonorant desert, where the immigrants have to cross very long distances before getting to a road (Avenger and Shmindhelser, 2008).
Moreover, environmentalists argue that the wall will interfere with the natural ecosystem in places where it will be erected. As a result, it is bound to endanger some animal and plant species. Furthermore, the erection of the wall is a very expensive undertaking which might take ages before it is completed. Similarly, the wall will not in itself solve the problem of immigration. Still, more security personnel will be required at the border, as well as increased border patrols (Marrow, 2011). On the same note, the wall requires circumventing and adjustment of very many laws before it is completed.
Circumventing of laws can lead to lawsuits which will further delay the process. According to Avenger and Shmindhelser (2008), “Business people in the U.S. know this: They need immigration for economic growth to continue” (246).
Conclusion
The United States of America is epitomized by everyone around the world for its impeccable infrastructure, education, quality healthcare and freedom of expression. Consequently, it is a dream destination for people who live in less developed countries. Therefore, scores of people will continue applying for green card lotteries in a bid to gain entry into the United States. However, there are those unscrupulous individuals who will always try to circumvent the system by gaining illegal entry into the country through the “porous” borders or otherwise. By and large, the immigration issue is a sensitive matter and it should not be subjected to political rhetoric by republicans or democrats.
Illegal immigration is a menace in the United States because of its economic implications. Not only do illegal immigrants like using the porous Mexican border, but also drug traffickers and other criminals. It is, therefore, prudent for the U.S. government to take measures and curtail this problem.
References
Avenger, P. & Shmindhelser, K. (2008). The Plaid Avenger’s World. San Francisco: Kendall Hunt.
Kussman, E. (2011). De-Comprehensive Politics: Getting America back to the Basics. City: AuthorHouse.
LaTour, M. L. (2007). American Government and the Vision of Democrats. Lanham: University Press of America.
Marrow, H. (2011). New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race, and Legal Status in the Rural American South. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Warner, J. (2010). U.S. Border Security: A Reference Handbook. City: ABC-CLIO.
Wood, D. B. (2012). Obama vs. Romney 101: Ways they differ on Immigration. The Christian Science Monitor. Web.