The Border Wall

By:Kelsey Summarell

Border Walls

“We need the wall for security, safety, and stopping the drugs from pouring in...because

without the wall it all doesn’t work” (“Trump:Immigration Plan Must

Include Funding for Border Wall” 0:20). 77% of republicans, 12% of

democrats, and 34% of independents agree with Trump’s idea to build

a wall (YouGov). Donald Trump’s proposal for a wall along the

United States-Mexico border include: a solid concrete wall or a see

through wall, a wall that is between 18 and 30 feet tall, and a wall that

goes a minimum of six feet into the ground (Felbab-Brown para 7).

Donald Trump’s border wall cost has gone up from his first estimate of $12 billion (Felbab-

Brown para 11). The estimated cost of the border wall went up to $70 billion in the Senate

Democrats’ Report (Felbab-Brown para 11). Donald Trump’s idea for a new border wall is not

anything new. The United States are not the first or the only ones to use a wall to help solve their

problems with immigration and smuggled goods. Israel, Egypt, and Spain all used a border wall

to help solve their immigration and smuggled goods problems. All three countries had success

with their border walls helping their problems. Would the United States receive the same results

as Israel, Egypt, and Spain did with their border walls? If so, should the United States build a

border wall along the United States-Mexico?

Israel’s border wall along the Gaza Strip is: 150 miles

long, a steel and barbed wire wall, and costed $400 million

U.S. dollars (Flores 1). Israel’s border wall was successful in

lowering its immigration into the country but, it was not the only component. In addition to

building a border wall, which made it more difficult to enter the country, Israel also made life for

immigrants living in Israel more difficult once they immigrated to the country (Flores 1).

Egypt’s border wall along the Gaza Strip is: bombproof, super strength steel wall, and

goes an astonishing 66 feet into the ground (Flores 2). Egypt did not build its border wall to keep

out immigrants but, to stop smugglers. Egypt’s border wall is used to help “stop the smuggling of

contraband and to stop the smuggling of

weapons, explosives, and goods that are

unattainable domestically to the Palestinians”

(Flores 2). The Egyptian border wall was so

successful because the plans for the wall were

kept secret to prevent smugglers from finding

out about the wall. Egypt’s border wall required smugglers to dig deeper to smuggle in goods

(Florees 2). Egypt’s border wall has decreased smuggling but, not removed smuggling and its

border wall has pushed smugglers to go to greater lengths to smuggle in goods (Flores 2).
 Spain’s border wall with Africa is: a seven mile

long wall, and a steel wall (Flores 3). Spain built its

border wall to prevent immigrants from Morocco from

entering the country. Spain’s border wall was successful

in lowering immigration into the country because the wall

discouraged immigrants from attempting to enter the

country illegally (Flores 3). However, those immigrants that were determined to enter the

country illegally would “risk their lives swimming around the border wall in the cold water of

the Mediterranean” (Flores 3). Spain’s border wall increased the number of crossing fatalities for

those who were determined to enter Spain.

As seen above Israel, Egypt, and Spain all had success with their border walls but, their

border walls were only a piece of their success. Questions to consider are: Would the United

States receive the same results with the United States-Mexico border wall? What negative effects

would the United States face from building the border wall? Lastly, as seen above a border wall

is not going to solve all of the United States immigration and drug problems.

The Border Wall and Security

The Trump administration's hostility towards Mexico is threatening to jeopardize the

collaboration that both George W. Bush’s administration and Obama’s administration worked for

(Felbab-Brown Para 23). The collaboration between Mexico and the United States allows United

States law enforcement and intelligence agents to operate in Mexico and help their Mexican

counterparts in intelligence development, training, vetting, establishment of police procedures

and protocols, and interdiction operations (Felbab-Brown para 23).. This collaboration also

allowed Mexico to be more willing to let the United States patrol both the northern and southern
borders of Mexico (Felbab-Brown Para 23). “Mexico’s cooperation is far more important for

United States security than any wall” (Felbab-Brown Para 24). Based on the information

provided above a border wall along the United States-Mexico border would damage relations

between the United States and Mexico, which then could hurt United States security.

The Border Wall and Safety

President Donald

Trump frequently refers to

cases of violence committed by

illegal immigrants in the

United States to justify the

restriction he puts on

immigration as a critical issue

(McKenna para 4). Contrary to

President Donald Trump’s

remarks as seen in the chart to the side, the number one reason illegal immigrants are removed

from the United States is because of immigration violations (US Department of Homeland

Security). In fact, multiple criminological studies show that foreign-born individuals commit

much lower levels of crime than do native-born individuals (Felbab-Brown para 29). For

example, in California, where there is a large immigration population, including undocumented

immigrants. U.S.-born men were incarcerated 2.5 times higher rate than foreign-born men

(Felbab-Brown para 29). Native-born Americans are more likely to commit a crime than their

immigrant counterparts living in the United States.

The Border Wall and Stopping Drugs

 It is no secret that drug use is a problem in the United States and some of those drugs are

smuggled across the border. Drug smugglers have been using tunnels to get drugs into the United

States ever since the method was pioneered by “El Chapo” in 1989 (Felbab-Brown para 14). The

tunnels used to smuggle drugs into the United States can go as deep as 70 feet (Felbab-Brown

para 14). Some other methods drug smugglers use to smuggle drugs into the United States are

drones, catapults, joint drainage systems between border towns (with joint drainage systems drug

smugglers use wide tubes or tunnels to crawl through or pull drugs through) and if the land

border were to get more secure than drug smugglers would use boats to smuggle drugs onto the

California coast (Felbab-Brown para 15). “According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement

Administration, most of the smuggled marijuana as well as cocaine, heroin, and

methamphetamines comes through the 52 legal ports of entry on the border (Felbab-Brown para

16). Therefore, building a border wall with Mexico would not stop drugs from coming into the

United States since most are smuggled through the legal ports of entry. It is the United States

demand for drugs that fuels Mexican drug smuggling (Felbab-Brown para 23). As long as

Americans use drugs then drugs will keep coming across the Mexico border.

The Border Wall and

Illegal Immigration

As seen to the

side California has one of

the largest estimated

population of

undocumented immigrants
(“Number of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States in 2014, by State”). But, among

those undocumented immigrants are those who crossed the border illegally but, also those who

become undocumented by overstaying their visas. Building a wall would be irrelevant to those

people who become undocumented immigrants by overstaying their visas, who outnumber those

who become undocumented immigrants by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border (Felbab-Brown para

4). “If the U.S immigration system were more streamlined and the process of applying for a work

visa or permanent residency was quicker and easier, then illegal immigration would not be as

great a problem” (Flores 3).

--

“Undocumented immigrants and drugs will still find their way across any barrier the

United States administration puts up nor will a physical wall enhance United States security”

(Felbab-Brown para 4). And with putting up a barrier the United States needs to evaluate the

costs that come along with the border wall and decide if it is worth the cost. If the United States

wants to be as successful as Israel, Egypt, and Spain were they not only need to build a wall but

also make changes to the immigration policy.

 Works Cited

Felbab-Brown, Vanda. “The Wall: The real costs of a barrier between the United States and
Mexico.” Brookings, Brookings, 15 Sept. 2017, www.brookings.edu/essay/the-wall-the-real-
costs-of-a-barrier-between-the-united-states-and-mexico/.

FLORES, ESTEBAN. "Walls of Separation: An Analysis of Three 'Successful' Border Walls."

Harvard International Review, vol. 38, no. 3, Summer2017, pp. 10-12. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=123620519&site=ehost-live.

McKenna, Chris. “Charts of the week: Immigration and Trump's border wall.” Brookings,
Brookings, 5 Jan. 2018,
www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2018/01/05/charts-of-the-week-immigration-an
d-trumps-border-wall/.

“Number of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States in 2014, by State”. Statista.com,

August 2014, https://www.statista.com/statistics/629682/state-populations-of-illegal-
immigrants-in-the-united-states-2014/

"Trump: Immigration Plan must Include Funding for Border Wall."Global Newsstream,
Jan 10, 2018,
https://search-proquest-com.libprox1.slcc.edu/docview/1992037523?accountid=28671.

US Department of Homeland Security. "Number of Criminal Aliens Removed from The United
States in 2014, by Crime Category." Statista - The Statistics Portal, Statista,
www.statista.com/statistics/668305/us-criminal-alien-removals-by-crime-category/,
Accessed 3 Mar 2018

YouGov. "Do You Favor or Oppose Building a Wall along The Us-mexico Border to Try to Stop Illegal
Immigration?." Statista - The Statistics Portal, Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/798252/support-for-
southern-border-wall-in-the-us/, Accessed 30 Apr 2018