Border Wall

The immigration debate is underway in the United States. While several notable Republicans are calling for more concentration on border security, Democrats are pushing for a simpler Legal route to citizenship and a focus on the current economic demand of the labor market in the United States. In 1970 there was about one million people in the U.S. from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Now, currently the United States is home to around 14 million people from these Central American countries. In the recent decades undocumented immigrants have deviated away from specialization in temporary, low skill jobs in agriculture located in southwest border states and are settling in a several diverse cities throughout the country and finding work in an assortment of economic areas.

Currently at the same time, drug cartel related violence has spiked in many Mexican cities near the border and illicit drugs and undocumented migrants continue to illegally pass over our southern border. The border and immigration reform debate focuses on updating U.S. legislation to account for the current economic and geopolitical reality.

Currently there are three perspectives on illegal immigration and border security and its effect in the social lives of the American people. The first is a complete decriminalization of illegal immigration; this idea is put forth by far left democrats. The second is a strict control of immigration and securing our southern borders, this is the general idea from far right and mainstream republicans. Lastly, the third idea, is shared by centered democrats and a few republicans to secure a border humanely in order to foster legal immigration.

All three come with their pitfalls. All mainstream politicians recognize or have recognized the need to help protect our border but, have not provided a plan to do so. Those who live on our southern border majorly agree that their is a problem on our border with illegal immigration and a threat to public safety through gangs and drugs. Ideas and thoughts shared between most democrats is that there is no current threat to public safety. Democrats state that immigration is essential to the economy and illegal immigration tends to strengthen it as well.

Democrats state that a border wall proposed by trump, would not stop illegal activity only harm those seeking to better their lives here in America. They argue that to enter our country is too difficult and does not favor those people who are the most poor and needy. According to, the democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; “A wall, in my view, is an immorality. It’s the least effective way to protect the border and the most costly. I can’t think of any reason why anyone would think it’s a good idea — unless this has something to do with something else.”

Currently to enter our country you need a visa. All those visas are distributed at max capacity, meaning our ability to care for immigrants is at capacity. According to democrats illegal immigrants do not cause any problems to national security or public safety. They claim that illegal immigrants cause less crime than native born citizens. James Kent a reporter from Rolling Stone stated that, building a border wall is more complicated, this is due to the fact that much of the land in the Rio Grande area, which separates Mexico from the United Staes, is privately owned land.

Additionally, the wall proposed by trump could possible have negatives effects on wildlife.(Bonte-Friedheim) According to reporters from rolling stone, since 2007 the single greatest cause of illegal immigration is immigrants overstaying their visas, not crossing the our southern border. Building a southern border wall would not stop people from overstaying their visas.

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