Ayala 1

Atenea Ayala

Erin Rogers

Writing 2010

22nd April, 2019

Wonders of The Southern Wall

In a world filled with Third World Problems — and the United States being one of the

few countries that is able to assist — the focus of the American people has been pulled towards

the minor issue of border security​.​ However, this attention is not going for all legal ports of entry,

only toward the United States-Mexico entry​.​ President Donald Trump has been desperately

holding onto his biggest campaign promise of building a steel barrier; despite him running away

from the bigger legal issues he is involved in. The single-minded mentality of this “national

emergency” has created controversy, and is not painting the bigger picture in a sensible manner​.

The discrete motive behind “build the wall” is detention to Central Americans. In the long run, a

steel barrier will become a factor to a higher tax rate on the economy. It will also become an

issue ethically, due to do the idea of isolation that is viceful from that which is virtuous. This

temporary strategy is made to be the entire plan for better homeland security; but with the future

bringing better technology​,​ the wall is only going to be a bust.

In the beginning, walls dominated warfare and were responsible for the rise of

civilizations​.​ Throughout history, walled cities evolved and eventually “came to be populated by

other walled cities, soon to be followed by walled kingdoms, and finally walled empires

(HistoryExtra).” The walled societies were able to safely sit and ponder on how to achieve

ultimate “security [but] it [could not] think about anything except the dangers all around it
 Ayala 2

(Worrall)”. An extremely major consequence the close off brought the walled cities was

limitation to culture​.​ They had no actual intellect of seeing what the “dangers” were and what the

“dangers” actually brought​.​ A great example of this scenario is the construction of the Great Wall

of China. Doing their best to prohibit the invasion of the North, they built and used the wall as

the primary source of protection. “Despite the wall, the Mongols eventually conquered China.

The Wall also kept Chinese citizens from leaving China (ChinaTravellers)”. In a sense, this can

be seen as an example of why “taking offense on other people’s behalf is staggeringly

patronizing (White).” The most recent example of the impulsive wall defense mechanism can be

seen with the plan of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin wall came to represent Germany’s divided

nation and capital. “The fall of the Berlin Wall happened nearly as suddenly as its rise

(Rosenburg)”. With the communist blocs weakening and East Germany protesters, the German

government was no longer able to resist the the prohibition of crossing side — becoming one

Germany in 1990.

A healthy practice of moral principles and values are effective guides to success. A lack

of ethical judgment can be arrogant and peril​.​ As the forty-fifth President of the United States of

America, Donald Trump lacks the respect and proper attitude towards improving the

development of Border Security​.​ President Trump initiated the partial government shutdown of

2019 and claimed that his federal workers supported him​.​ He stated “...not only did you not

complain but in many cases, you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about

our country and about its border security (Trump)”. “Employees sued the Trump administration

shortly after the shutdown began. Hundreds of thousands of workers have been furloughed or

[were] on the job without pay during the shutdown (USA TODAY)”. Trump holds firm on his
 Ayala 3

view of a physical wall being the crucial element of immigration enforcement. However, a steel

barrier would not help with the situation of giving the Central Americans a chance to cross the

border the correct way. “A wall would probably drive them into more remote areas of the desert

or mountains, possibly to their deaths, as the forces driving them — violence, persecution and

extreme poverty — are more life threatening than a risky border crossing (Tobin)”​.​ To add on to

the mayhem​,​ the increasing number of asylum seekers “[is a] recent phenomenon driven by poor

economic conditions and violence in their home that a wall does little to address(WSJ)”.

Considering that the strategy is poor, a high rate of these asylum seekers “have been turned away

at the legal ports of entry because immigration enforcement cannot keep up with claims

(PBSNewsHour)”​.​ Many of the asylum seekers are in desperate search for work to support their

families, not, as otherwise suggested by Trump, for any immoral purpose. He misleads people by

spreading inaccurate depictions of Central Americans as inhumane​.​ The idea that has been

embedded into “Build the Wall” is that it is for the protection of the United States. “There is no

clear and present danger as the president would try to convey to the American people, to scare

them and justify actions otherwise not justifiable (Hoyer)”. That is a profoundly deceitful act. It

is a racial chant and it is “the idea of a border wall [being used] as a mnemonic device of sorts, a

way to make sure their candidate — who hated reading from a script but loved boasting about

himself and his talents as a builder — would remember to talk about getting tough on

immigration, which was to be a signature issue in his nascent campaign (Davis&Baker)”​.​ The

wall is an idea that is bound to the Trump Administration and is one that they do not show any

signs of letting go​.

 Ayala 4

It would not make any sense to add on to the debt of the United States — Mexico clearly

is not paying for the $5​.7​ billion dollar wall. Just say they do, then what? Congratulations

America, your taxes now have a higher rate! Donald Trump’s steel barrier will not be a one time

cost nor will Mexico be bearing the cost. The partial government shutdown of 2019 resulted in

the costs of uncollected tax revenues​.​ Due to this many related factors the “economic loss, [in

billions of dollars], from [the] shutdown as of Jan. 11 [2019] was $3.6... [and] loss from the

shutdown as of Jan. 25 [2019] was $6​.​0 (Petras).” The total cost of the shutdown costed $300

million more than Trumps demand of $5.7 billion to build the border wall. “Many different cost

estimates have been thrown around, from as little as ​$8 billion​ to as much as ​$70 billion​, with

anywhere from $150 million per year to $750 million per year in maintenance (Vittert).” While

these numbers are not stopping the President from settling​,​ in a “survey 40% of Americans

polled chose the president backing down and accepting the $1.6 billion Democrats have already

offered for border security as ​the most popular option​ for resolving the shutdown (whereas only

24% said Democrats should fund the $5 billion) (Koshgarian).” The statistical evidence is

portraying that this is a fight that most Americans do not want. This leads to the next point of the

entirety of the U.S. taxpayers base that should be going towards more reliable factors. Funding

for programs for: guest workers, taking the next step and making 200,000+ Dreamers legal

residents, investing on the improvement of the technology used on the southern border wall, etc.

The amount of money that the United States has already spent to secure this border, and others,

is significantly abundant. The Customs and Border Patrol “is the largest enforcement agency in

the country, and has a budget larger than the remaining law enforcement agencies combined

(UNIDOSUS).” Building the wall would require meeting the demand of a higher number of
 Ayala 5

border agents. A Border Patrol Agent hiring “request also would increase existing levels by $211

million to support the hiring of 710 new U.S. border patrol agents (UNIDOSUS).” The most

sophisticated investments have come from technology and adequate equipment and proven

efficiency in the last twenty years.

The physical aspect of the wall should not be considered the only mechanism of defense

at the southern border. However, it is a strategy that is suggested to be part of a more competent

plan. As “officials have offered more options — putting less emphasis on a “wall” and

suggesting that the barrier could actually be a mix of “steel slats” and “technological

enhancements (PBSNewHour)” — President Donald Trump is pushing his campaign slogan.

Aside from being expensive and immoral, a wall would be ineffective​.​ The wall would still do

little to address the “invasion of drugs and criminals coming into [the] country (Trump)”. This

specific enforcement is the dominant promotion to border security because it eludes a more

complicated crossing for the immigrants​.​ The actuality is that “the more complicated… crossing

the border [gets], the more sophisticated the efforts to go around it or go underneath it become

(Olson).” Even then “ the majority of immigrants settling in the U​.​S. without authorization are

first coming to the country legally… overstays have exceeded those entering illegally every year

since 2007​,​ and there have been half a million more overstays than illegal entries since 2007…

this trend is expected to continue (Gonella)”. The excessive flow of drugs across the southern

border has been repeatedly pointed out by Trump Administration officials​.​ More attention should

actually be brought to the legal ports of entry rather than the U.S.-Mexico border. In an April

2019 interview with a U.S​.​ Customs and Border Protection director of 2014-2017, Gil

Kerlikowske, was able to state that “drugs that are actually taking the lives of people here in the
 Ayala 6

United States… almost universally come through the ports of entry along the southern border…

well over 90 percent (Kerlikowske)”​.​ An analysis of data from the southern border indicates that

the vast majority of narcotics enter at the legal ports of entry. These numbers only reflect the

drugs that are caught, they are: “90 percent of heroin seized along the border, 88 percent of

cocaine​,​ 87 percent of methamphetamine​,​ and 80 percent of fentanyl in the first 11 months of the

2018 fiscal year was caught trying to be smuggled in at legal crossing points(Gomez)”​.​ Taking

account both legal entries and exits would be the best out turn for the time and money for the

Trump Administration​.

On the other hand there are the claims as to why it is necessary to cut off block off more

of the southern border​.​ These reasons hold the same validity as the ones that oppose the steel

wall. The people who are all in for the wall believe President Trum​p is advocating for more

“​immigration judges, law enforcement officers​,​ detention beds and additional border technology,

among other items — common sense stuff (O’Connell)”. They claim that a wall will not stop the

asylum seekers from being able to apply for asylum​.​ They also state that the central americans

that come into the country to live and work without the permission are taking advantage of the

U.S. work privileges. These points though valid, have their own defects and should be

reconsidered for the sake of congresses’ time and money of the U.S. taxpayer base.

The best point made is that the wall will not prohibit the asylum seekers from being able

to apply for asylum. This is no doubt the most logical argument brought to the table. At the same

time, the mayhem of Central Americans currently being ignored at the legal ports of entry would

not be resolved. The crisis is actually with the asylum system and has in fact worsened with

every turn made by the Trump Administration’s harsh policies and figurative speeches. “In the
 Ayala 7

face of this growing humanitarian challenge, the administration’s answers have all been punitive.

It has separated children from their parents, narrowed the avenues to file for asylum, and

tightened criteria for granting asylum (Meissner&Pierce)”. Central Americans are people “who

have not committed any crimes, who have not done anything. They are not a threat to our society

(TheNewYorker)”. Donald Trump does not take the asylum crisis serious and tends to forget that

the migrants are human being — not ponds. He uses immigration as a clear call to his base. “If

Trump really wanted to solve the issue… he could deploy more immigration judges and asylum

case workers that could hear the cases of each of these families on the border and could decide

on the merits whether they can seek asylum in this country (Cardona)”.

Other people claim that those who come to live and work in the country without official

permission from the U.S. government are taking advantage of the privileges and freedoms given

to citizens. However, they do not realize how immigrants in the labor force are actually helping

them by taking jobs Americans tend to avoid. By doing so, they open up positions in higher

paying workforces rather than in areas such as agriculture and manual labor. ​In one instance,

“​When the federal government banned the use of farmworkers from Mexico in 1964, California

tomato growers did not enlist Americans to harvest the fragile crop. They replaced the lost

workers with tomato-picking machines (​Appelbaum​).” Economists have stated that the tomato

story and related evidence show no clear correlation between less immigration and more jobs for

Americans. Contrary “​immigration increases economic growth, improving the lives of the

immigrants and the lives of the people who are already here (Appelbaum)”. ​In addition, children

of first generation immigrants “have more economic opportunity and rely less on government

assistance (Frazee).”
 Ayala 8

In conclusion, Trump's wall has no benefit on the economy, and only brings a negative

stigma towards immigrants who just want a better life for themselves and their families. Having

a wall will not stop illegal immigration. Having a wall will not create better jobs. Having a wall

will not improve the United States. Instead, the nation should be aiming towards wanting a better

relationship at the southern border and enhancing a helping hand to the Mexican country.
 Ayala 9

“A Brief History of Border Walls – from 2,000 BC to Trump's Mexico Wall.” ​History Extra​,
26 Mar. 2019,
www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-history/border-walls-history-mexico-trump-china-gr
eat-wall/.

AV Press Releases on January 7, 2019, and AV Press Releases. “From a Memory Device to a
Racist Rally Chant to a Damaging Government Shutdown, Trump's Border Wall Has
Never Been About Policy.” ​America's Voice​, 7 Jan. 2019,
americasvoice.org/press_releases/from-a-memory-device-to-a-racist-rally-chant-to-a-dama
ging-government-shutdown-trumps-border-wall-has-never-been-about-policy/.

Baker, Peter. “Trump Declares a National Emergency, and Provokes a Constitutional Clash.”
The New York Times​, The New York Times, 15 Feb. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/us/politics/national-emergency-trump.html.

Cardona, Maria. “Trump Prefers Mocking Asylum Seekers over Finding Solutions.” ​TheHill​,
1 Apr. 2019,
thehill.com/opinion/immigration/436628-trump-prefers-mocking-asylum-seekers-over-fin
ding-solutions.

“Commentary: Trump's $5 Billion Wall Is a Waste. Here's What We Could Spend It on

Instead.” ​Fortune​, fortune.com/2019/01/09/trump-wall-cost-government-shutdown/.

Frazee, Gretchen. “4 Myths about How Immigrants Affect the U.S. Economy.” ​PBS​, Public
Broadcasting Service, 2 Nov. 2018,
www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/4-myths-about-how-immigrants-affect-th
e-u-s-economy.

Friedersdorf, Conor. “Why Did the Border Patrol Union Switch Its Position on the Wall?” ​The
Atlantic​, Atlantic Media Company, 15 Jan. 2019,
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-nbpc/580237/.

Gomez, Alan. “Fact-Checking Trump Officials: Most Drugs Enter US through Legal Ports of
Entry, Not Vast, Open Border.” ​USA Today​, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 16
Jan. 2019,
www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/16/fact-check-mike-pence-donald-trump-
drugs-crossing-southern-border-wall/2591279002/.

Meissner, Doris, and Sarah Pierce. “A Wall Cannot Fix Problems at Border; Smart Solutions
for Asylum Crisis Can.” ​Migrationpolicy.org​, 22 Jan. 2019,
www.migrationpolicy.org/news/wall-cannot-fix-problems-border-smart-solutions-asylum-
crisis-can.
 Ayala 10

Schmidtke, Rachel. “3 Alternatives to a Wall That Will Strengthen the Southern Border.”
TheHill​, 12 Jan. 2019,
thehill.com/opinion/immigration/424961-3-alternatives-to-a-wall-that-will-strengthen-the-
southern-border.

Tobin, Joseph W. “The 'Ethics' of Trump's Border Wall.” ​The New York Times​, The New York
Times, 30 Jan. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/opinion/trump-mexico-border-wall-immigration.html.

“Why Does Donald Trump Want to Build a Wall? - CBBC Newsround.” ​BBC News​, BBC,
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46811167.