Border Fence

= Case = A border fence along the US-Mexico border would be beneficial as it would reduce crimes such as illegal immigration and drug transportation and would lessen the harmful effects that come from both. It would be a means of security and protection for Americans as well. C1) Illegal Activity Illegal immigration has been a long-term problem in America. A fence would be a good solution to this issue, as it would stem immigration done illegally and further control the amount of Mexicans that decide to go into the country without permission. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that a fence along the border would reduce future illegal immigration by up to half[1], keeping out of thousands of crossers. This proves that a fence is, in fact, effective as what it is needed to be, and should remain existent along the border. While that may just be a prediction, it's nothing compared to Jim Henry personal witness of what has changed since a border fence has been built. As a Border Patrol Agent of the San Diego sector, he stated that before the fence "it was an area that was out of control. There were over 100,000 aliens crossing through this area a year."[2] He also reports that the number of apprehensions down there dropped by 95% from 100,000 a year to 5,000 a year. The reason for this is because the cable that once was on the border of the two nations was now double and (in some places) triple layer fences stacked 10 to 15 feet high with metal mesh and 150 feet between each, making it virtually impossible to cross between countries illegally.[2] Border infrastructure does work, and as Henry affirms, it is highly effective. Pew Research confirms that the illegal population has declined, peaking in 2007 following the border fence enactment just the year before. Mexican unauthorized immigrants living in the country dropped from 6.9 million to 5.9 million[8]. With less unwanted activity, a fence is a benefit to the US. Drug trafficking is also a huge problem. Mexico is the main supplier of marijuana and methamphetamines in the US, and smuggles in a ridiculous amount of drugs. In fact, 90% of the cocaine that enters the US transits through Mexico[6]. A border fence would make it more difficult to transport harmful substances illegally from Mexico to the US. Transportation of illegal firearms happen often between the countries. In fact, "Federal authorities say more than 60,000 U.S. guns of all types have been recovered in Mexico in the past four years, helping fuel the violence that has contributed to 30,000 deaths."[7] It is safe to say at this point that fencing would be a good means of prevention as it would deter illegal activity such as exchanging illegal guns and drugs across the border, both which can be lethal. C2) Crime Spillover A border fence has controlled immigration, thus reducing the crime spillover effect that has been a problem in the past. The US Government Accountability Office released a report focused on the 2004 to 2011 period that stated that "violent crime was found to be lower in border counties than in non-border counties for all the years examined in three out of the four states -- California, New Mexico and Texas -- with Arizona the only exception."[3][4] This is significant because fence security enactment happened back in 2006[5], meaning that a fence had a big effect on the drop in crime. Illegal aliens also tend to join gangs which commit lots of crime. An example of this is in one of the eastern states, in which “25-50% of all gangsters arrested in northern and western Virginia are estimated to be deportable aliens. Gang investigators estimate that 90% of the members of MS-13, the most notorious immigrant gang, are illegal aliens”[11]. Gangs are also said to make up 80% of all national crime[12], which illegals are often included in, since they join gangs a lot. Juarez, a Mexican city that lies right near the US border is known to be the murder capital of the western hemisphere, an example of one border city where many are slain by drug cartels due to the “drug war” that is currently ongoing around there. It is illogical to assume that illegal immigrants are going to follow the law. Having broken it trying to get into the US, there's no reason that they wouldn't try more criminal activities to get what they need to survive. The US cannot trust such people unless they show they are willing to abide by the laws of the land by coming over legally and doing what they should in order to be given the rights of a law-abiding citizen. Logically, one can easily conclude that more unlawful immigration will lead to higher violent crimes in the regions in which there is no border fence. C3) Harmful Residential Effects According to the Pew Hispanic Center, illegal aliens take up 8 million jobs in the US[9] which could normally be occupied by US citizens. Since the job market is limited, it's unfair for these jobs to go to illegals who don't even belong in the country when legal workers and citizens who have earned their right to residence are being stripped of labor opportunities. Immigrants who reside in the country illegally are extremely costly for the nation in so many ways. More unauthorized immigrants mean providing more law enforcement, education, and medical services, which is the reality of the massive influx of crossers of the southern border. Although illegal aliens pay virtually nothing in taxes, they receive “tens of billions of dollars worth of free education benefits, free health care benefits, free housing assistance and free food stamp benefits.”[10] Giving these people a free ride puts a much larger burden upon taxpayers who ensure the free benefits to illegals who did nothing to earn it in the first place. More of a cost is detrimental to taxpaying citizens and uses up government resources quicker. This can be reduced by using a fence to prevent the amount of illegals coming through. As we see, a border fence would be very beneficial to the US in so many ways. [1] http://www.washingtontimes.com... [2] http://www.npr.org... [3] http://www.insightcrime.org... [4] http://www.gao.gov... [5] http://en.m.wikipedia.org... [6] http://m.state.gov... [7] http://www.washingtonpost.com... [8] http://www.pewresearch.org... [9] http://www.fairus.org... [10] http://www.wvwnews.net... [11] http://cis.org... [12] http://usatoday30.usatoday.com...