Introduction
The United States of America is arguably the most developed country in the world. Therefore, many people around the globe dream of staying and working in the United States. With this in mind, many people, especially from less developed nations, work day and night to secure a chance of living in the United States. As a result, the number of immigrants lining up at the American embassies throughout the world to request visas increase each day.
Unfortunately, not everybody can secure a visa to America due to laid down requirements. As a result, many people opt to enter into America illegally mostly through the Mexican border. It is in this regard that the American government has proposed and actually initiated the construction of a high-tech wall on the Mexican border. Though some people believe that this will solve the illegal immigration problem, critics believe it is not a solution.
Advantages of the Wall
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, with the wall in place, the number of illegal immigrants can further decrease. According to LaTour, “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” (193).
In addition, 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 184).
Arguments against the Wall
Regrettably, even in places where the wall has been built there have been instances of illegal immigrants crossing the border into America. People drill tunnels, build ladders and even use hack saws 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 Klaus 269).
Moreover, environmentalists have argued that the wall will interfere with the natural ecosystem on 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 252).
On the same note, the wall requires circumventing and adjustment of very many laws before it is completed. Circumventing of laws can lead to law suits which will further delay the process. Additionally, the wall will divide the ancestral lands of some American Indian nations, which will lead to some resistance from the natives. Above all, the American economy needs people to travel to and from Mexico. According to Avenger and Klaus, “business people in the US know this: They need immigration for economic growth to continue” (246).
Conclusion
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. Sadly, building the wall is not a solution to this problem because people will always improvise ways of getting what they want. It is therefore upon the stakeholders to look for other methods of deterring illegal immigration other than building a wall.
Works Cited
Avenger, Plaid, and Klaus Shmindhelser. The Plaid Avenger’s World. San Francisco: Kendall Hunt, 2008. Print.
LaTour, Mark Louis. American Government and the Vision of Democrats. Lanham: University Press of America, 2007. Print.
Marrow, Helen. New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race, and Legal Status in the Rural American South. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011. Print.