Border Fence

I look forward to debating with you Con! :)First off, we need the Border Fence for 2 main reasons. 1. Ensure the safety of America Citizens and 2. To stop illegal immigration.What is a Border Fence?[1] The Mexico–United States barrier – also known in the United States as the Border Fence or Border Wall – is a collection of several barriers, designed to prevent illegal movement across the Mexico–United States border. The barriers were built as part of three larger "Operations" to taper transportation of illegal drugs manufactured in Latin America and illegal immigrationNow lets note that this border specifically protects against illegal drug transportation, immigration and human trafficking and other illegal crimes that could be committed.As of 2012 [2] "The US and Mexico share a common border of about 2,000-miles (3,200-km). As of February 10, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security had completed 651 miles of fencing out of nearly 652 miles mandated by Congress, including 299 miles of vehicle barriers and 352 miles of pedestrian fence"I will be arguing that expanding out Southern Mexico is not only effective, but doesn't cost as much as you may think. It's allot safer as well.Argument #1Why do we need a border?Like stated above, to stop illegal crimes, such as drug transportation, human trafficking and illegal immigration. *Human Trafficking [3]" Human trafficking is the third-largest global criminal enterprise, exceeded only by drug and arms trafficking, … By some estimates, the industry is growing, and the [worldwide] illegitimate gain from the industry is as high as $32 billion per year." * Drug Transportation- [4] In April, authorities said they broke up a drug trafficking ring that brought at least 40,000 pounds of marijuana into southern Arizona from Mexico. U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke said Tuesday that the smuggling ring was extremely sophisticated. Illegal selling and smuggling of drugs is one of the mail problems. Having a border just makes it even harder to commit these crimes* To stop transportation of firearms/ weaponsThese are just a few issue we have, but there are many more.The border is so effective that fewer people are attempting to try and get away with things.Before the actual border was established [5] "Before the fence was built, all that separated that stretch of Mexico from California was a single strand of cable that demarcated the international border.[6]" This was completely ineffective. Immigrants were able to cross over easily and did whatever they wished. Border Agent Jim Henry states that ""It was an area that was out of control," Henry says. "There were over 100,000 aliens crossing through this area a year." But now that we HAVE a effective border, these rates have completely gone down. Few people are trying to cross the border because they know they wont achieve. [7] "The extra fencing will cost at least $35 million. But Claudio Smith, an attorney and border activist, says the toll has been much higher in human lives. She says the fencing has simply forced immigrants to take more dangerous routes through the mountains and scorching-hot deserts."It didn't stop people from crossing," she says. "It just forced them to cross in the deadliest stretches of the border."An estimated 3,600 people have died crossing the U.S. border since the fences went up."It may be costly but it is in fact very effective. I'm not saying that having 3,600 people die is bad, that was their choice. But they weren't able to cross our border to commit these crimes.As George W. Bush states"The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border...We're modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st century technology we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job."As a country, we need to not only protect our citizen's but also ensure their safety and let them know that these problems are infact being dealt with. Duncan Hunter, JD, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-CA), stated on his presidential campaign website (accessed Oct. 15, 2007) [8]"I know fencing helps secure our nation’s borders because criminal activity in every statistical category has been eliminated or decreased since we built the border fence in San Diego County. What was once a porous border, susceptible to illegal aliens, drug trafficking and terrorism, is now the standard mode in preventing drug smugglers from bringing narcotics into our neighborhoods and allowing border enforcement personnel to reinforce areas of greater need.These results led me to write the Secure Fence Act, extending the San Diego fence 854 miles across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Building fences in strategic locations along our international borders is a proven method of keeping America safe and, despite recent attempts to undo the Congressional mandated funding provided for this effort, I am committed to this effort and confident the fence will be built."So as you can see, having a border is effective! why would you say that expanding our southern border is bad? It's clear it has in-fact protected the citizens from events that could have taken place if we didn't have a border. Expanding it will only help us. What's the crime in that? Expanding the border will only make us safer. Sources: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://www.globalsecurity.org... [3] http://www.iadb.org... [4] http://www.examiner.com... [5] http://www.npr.org... [6] http://www.npr.org... [7]http://www.npr.org... [8] http://immigration.procon.org...