Buy your tequila now, folks.
2 min readBy AMANDA BIELECKI
Donald Trump’s desire to build a wall has been one of controversy and scrutiny. Much of the criticism stems from the idea that America is viewed as one big melting pot, not to mention the expense of the project. Fortune.com estimates it would cost 15 billion plus in order to build the wall. That 15 billion dollars could be put to good use for so many aspects of society, including the homeless, abandoned children, healthcare, the hungry and much more.
Many experts argue how the wall would not make a difference as there is already a wall including barbed wire, police, dogs, watch towers, etc. Many experts also argue that tunnels, boats and small holes are still a concern. For example, Mexican drug lord El Chapo escaped prison twice through a system of tunnels. However, it is impossible to deny that border security could be stricter with regards to drugs and other illegal substances.
According to therecoveryvillage.com, 93 percent of cocaine coming to the United States moves through Mexico and 39 percent of heroin in 2008 came from Mexico.
Moreover, a giant cement wall is not the answer and stereotyping people is not either. The answer is to focus on the drugs and make a conscious effort to strengthen the drug laws already present. Instead of spending 15 billion on an ineffective wall, an alternative may be to put money into improving drug prevention programs and organizations. In addition, the budget for the border is enormous. According to the New York Times, in the last 26 years the United States has spent around 187 billion dollars on immigration enforcement.
The question is whether President Trump is bluffing and playing a game with the Mexican president. At this point, the United States has the leverage since people want to get into the country, leverage that Trump could use in a variety of ways. Trump has also expressed the idea that Mexico is going to pay for the wall, which has only angered and annoyed the Mexican president and his administration. The question is how far Trump would take this bluff and infuriate the Mexican government, if it is a bluff.
Many also argue how the United States does not have the resources or ability to support large numbers of people coming into the country. The United States is a desirable destination for refugees and immigrants – after all, they are the reason this country is so diverse. The desire to come here creates a will. A wall is not going to stop the desire and will of thousands of people.
The unfortunate fact is that the United States is not able to accommodate every individual who would like to come. Overall, immigration and global economics is an extremely complicated and unpredictable issue that nobody knows the perfect solution too. However, based on research it is clear that a cement wall will not solve the large amount of issues that United States has with immigration.