The U.S. Should Erect a Fence Along the Mexican Border

Thank you to Con for her reply. I shall now rebut her arguments. (Note: I am disregarding the Round 1 statement and will, per the rules of this debate, only respond to the Round 2 opening argument.) Con states that “A more logical solution to illegal immigration would be to stop the incentives that invite them into the USA and punish, recall, vote out any and all politicians that promote the welfare of IAs over that of law abiding, contributing American citizens and Resident Aliens.” This is an interesting statement in that I partially agree. In fact, I agree with every single option that she posted. All of these should be part of a comprehensive program to stop illegal immigration and draining of the American taxpayer’s wallet. However, none of this negates the need for a fence. All of these things, if in place, would potentially cut down on the number of illegals who come across looking for a free handout, granted. Unfortunately, there is more than one reason to sneak across the border, some of which I outlined in my opening statement. Please allow me to summarize: - Drug smuggling operations are at an epidemic level. - Gang violence has spilled across the border into almost 250 cities nationwide. - Illegals coming across the border are committing heinous crimes and victimizing American citizens every day. These three facts alone are enough reason to build a fence—simply to protect American citizens from dangerous people who seek to do us harm. Con is correct in that taking away the financial incentives to be here would make some illegals think twice. However, it will not stop the gangs, the drug smugglers, the criminals. It will not stop American citizens from being needlessly violated, kidnapped, or murdered. It will not stop billions of dollars worth of illegal drugs getting to our kids. And it won’t stop OTMs from terrorist countries using that porous border to enter the U.S. and engage in terrorist activity. Why? Because penalizing an employer isn’t going to affect someone who’s driving an armored car across the border to drop off a load of narcotics. The fence proposed is not just a single chain link affair with a few strands of barbed wire at the top. The current fence under proposal has multiple layers of security, including tunnel-proofing, concertina wire, observation towers, a patrol lane for Border Patrol vehicles, and other facets that would make it nearly impossible for someone to get through it. Arizona finally received clearance to build a border fence with private donations, and they raised almost $40,000 in the first day the fundraising was open. [1] That was 4 days ago. Ranchers are in danger. Their livestock are killed, they themselves are threatened, and the environment is being destroyed along the border. [2] Arizona Border Trash, a government website, has photos of the damage. More than 2,000 TONS of trash are left along the border every year by illegals. Who’s cleaning that up? We are. The bottom line is simple: While legislative change is desperately needed, a solution in the form of a fence needs to be in place to protect our citizens and our environment. [1] http://www.usatoday.com... [2] http://azbordertrash.gov...