Border Wall Construction and Immigration: A View on What the U.S. Ought to Do

Ideally, it might be great to enter and leave the United States as easily as one travels from one of the 50 states to another. But, that’s not practical now. Therefore, we have border security.

Persons seeking to enter the United States from other countries often may:

·        have diseases that pose risks for United States citizens or face risks themselves from diseases  due to lack of immunizations that U.S. citizens get. Many Native American Indians died from diseases brought to America by European colonists.

·         lack English skills, putting them at risk due to inability to read warning signs, understand verbal instructions from others, or to communicate effectively, overall. English as a Second Language classes are great. And, I’d love to see more teachers of them and more students. Similarly, it would be great if more persons in the United States learned a foreign language. But, that all takes much time. What would be done in the meantime? It is expensive and time consuming to put signs in multiple languages or communicate instructions in multiple languages. It’s far better if all (or most) persons in our country share at least one common language, which is English now in the United States. 

·       pose security risks. Even if they are not terrorists, thieves, rapists, or some other type of bad criminal when they arrive, illegal immigrants who are unskilled and can’t speak English may be led to steal or commit other crimes to meet their basic needs of food, shelter, etc. Churches, synagogues, mosques, other nonprofit organizations, and the government likely would provide some aid. But, the massive needs of huge numbers of immigrants could overwhelm the aid system. Immigrants can acquire skills and learn English. But, it's easier for this to occur when the number of immigrants is limited, and a system is in place to teach them. I discuss skills and education more in the next point.     

·         lack job skills or education that would benefit the United States. Allowing a huge number (potentially millions or tens of millions?) of refugees or other immigrants into the country would be detrimental to our nation and to them if we couldn’t meet their needs. Would many join the welfare rolls? Would many end up in prisons and jails? Would many live in poverty in slums? Would they segregate themselves in areas with others sharing their culture and language, isolating themselves from mainstream life in the United States? Due to technological advances, there are fewer unskilled jobs than in the past, especially outside of the agriculture sector that attracts huge numbers of migrant workers.

For the above reasons and others, it seems wrong to allow uncontrolled immigration of a huge number of people. Therefore, we need to screen those entering the country and provide border security to prevent unauthorized access.

Improve Conditions Internationally

Over the long term, we need to improve the standard of living and overall conditions worldwide so that fewer persons seek to migrate long distances under difficult conditions. It is terrible that so many persons face such desperate conditions in their own nations that they are willing to abandon their homes and walk hundreds or thousands of miles with only what they can carry, in an effort to reach a better place to live. But, it would be far better to fix the problems in those countries than to run away from them and allow conditions there to deteriorate further.   

It would be great if all persons in all nations enjoyed abundant quality food, good housing, safe drinking water, excellent health, and freedom from war and terrorism. If national governments, religious and other nonprofit organizations, the United Nations, and international corporations work together, progress can occur toward this. But, this takes much time, as well as commitment and cooperation that is not easy to attain.

Good things are happening in some ways. International trade agreements, international aid organizations like CARE and Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations, missionaries, etc., are making progress in some ways. Still, much remains to be done. And, sadly in some ways things seem to be getting worse.

Solving these international issues is beyond the ability of the United States unilaterally or even in cooperation with other nations in the short term.

Is a Border Wall Necessary?

It’s best to avoid a border wall between countries if reasonably possible. The longest border between two countries in the world is the one between the United States and Canada. This border is relatively unguarded. Wonderful! It would be great if all international borders could be like this.

But, in the short term that is not practical. As illegal immigration soared in European countries in recent years, some of those countries took measures to secure their borders, constructing fences, walls, etc. Numerous articles have been written about this, including a June 15, 2018 Guardian article titled "What Is the current state of the migration crisis in Europe?"? written by Jon Henley.

The United States has oceans on its east and west, and a relatively unguarded northern border with Canada. The southern border of the U.S. is the focus of border security.

This southern border has a large number of illegal immigrants coming in. Though estimates of the number exist, we don't have a true count. Constructing a high, strong wall, fence, or some other type of barrier to greatly reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States from Mexico seems to be the most economic short term solution to limit illegal immigration to the United States.

Even with a fence or wall, some might seek to dig under it, climb over it, tear through it, or seek to enter the United States via ship or boat along the coast. But, a fence or wall would make it more difficult to enter the country, as well as make it easier for the U.S. Border Patrol and other government agencies to monitor the border.

In addition to reducing the number of illegal immigrants, such a border barrier could reduce the inflow of illegal drugs. Huge quantities (no one knows exactly how much) of illegal drugs enter from our southern border.

Increasing the Number of Legal Immigrants

Building a border wall is just part of the solution, as is seeking to improve conditions in other countries so fewer will seek to immigrate to the United States. The United States can and should increase the number of persons allowed to legally come into the country.

Our nation’s greatness came partially from our success at assimilating a wide variety of people from various nations into a cohesive whole. Large numbers of immigrants willing and able to work hard to better themselves and to perform useful services can make our nation better. But, allowing large numbers of immigrants does not mean allowing unlimited numbers. And, these immigrants need to come in legally, not just to limit their quantity, but also so our government can do background checks, immunizations, etc., on them.  

Closing Thoughts

Solving the illegal immigration problem won’t be easy. But, part of the solution is to offer more sympathy and empathy to the immigrants and would-be immigrants while also seeking to take steps to limit the number of illegal immigrants entering.

NOTE: This article was last revised on October 27, 2018. It is partially adapted from an article the author posted on the now defunct website Craft Reports in April 2006. That website was operated by a friend of the author.