The U.S. shuld build and maintain a border fence.

The political winds are changing on immigration. There is potential for reforming U.S. immigration policy to resolve the status of the large population of illegal immigrants by granting them work permits and providing a path to citizenship. The problem cannot be resolved until illegal border crossing are stopped. A border fence is a critical element in providing border security because a fence is both remarkably inexpensive and remarkably effective.1. Border Security is NeededBorder security is needed:1.1. To control immigration-related benefit costs. Under the Constitution government benefits must be provided to every resident of the United States, whether legal or illegal. For example, anyone can go to a hospital emergency room and receive free medical care. Children may attend public schools and receive educational benefits without regard to citizenship. Even when times are tough in the United States, job opportunities are better than in poor countries. Immigration costs taxpayers an estimated $113 B, and in some states like Texas, the costs exceed budget deficits. [1. http://tinyurl.com...] Without border security, the U.S. would be flooded with illegal immigrants, destroying the economy.1.2. For health and safety. The U.S. controls what can be imported into the United States so as to exclude unsafe food products, lead-based paints and ceramics. It regulates trucks and aircraft for safety. It forbids travel from places suffering outbreaks of communicable diseases.1.3. To protect against crime and terrorism. Watch lists are applied. There are visa restrictions that examine the suitability of immigrants from dangerous places in the world. Human trafficking is prohibited. "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." [2. http://tinyurl.com...]California currently houses about 20,000 illegals in its prison system, with about three-quarters from Mexico and central America. [3. http://tinyurl.com...] "American taxpayers are paying an estimated $2 billion this year on imprisoning immigrants, and much of those funds will go to new facilities to house the 400,000 immigrants detained annually, the Associated Press reported. Housing each undocumented immigrant costs taxpayers about $166 per night, which more than doubled since 2004." [4. http://tinyurl.com...] Additionally, the non-immigrations crimes they committed extracted significant financial and emotional costs on their victims. The US benefits from immigrants who have needed skills and pass background checks.1.4. To prohibit contraband. Recreational drugs are part of this, but there are also prohibitions on prescription drugs. Unregulated use of antibiotics, for example, poses a public health risk by facilitating the development of drug resistant strains. Endangered species and products derived from endangered species are prohibited. Fake prescription drugs, fake aircraft parts, fake luxury goods, and illegal use of intellectual property.1.5. To reduce illegal arms exports. Fences work both ways, so a border fence will help control export of weapons to drug lords and other unauthorized consumers.1.6. To collect taxes. Even if narcotics and other drugs were legalized, the US would still want to collect taxes on them. Judging from the "sin" taxes on alcohol and tobacco, the taxes would be steep, and well worth avoiding.1.7 To prevent many of the 400 deaths per year in attempted illegal border crossings. [5. http://tinyurl.com...] Fences are so effective that few people attempt to breach them.2. A border fence is effective2.1 Most of the fence the US has built along the Mexican Border is ineffective because it can be easily traversed by climbing over it without a ladder or punching a hole thorough it. However, effective border fencing has been developed and proved. Effective fencing comprises two reinforced fences with a patrol road between them. Congress authorized building 700 miles of such fence, but only 32 miles have been built. [6. http://tinyurl.com...]The effectiveness of the fencing is proved in San Diego where a double fence cut illegal apprehensions by 79%, even though the protected segment was only 11.8 miles long and illegals could go around the short piece. The fenced area itself is 95% effective. [7. http://www.npr.org...]The double fencing consists of two steel walls 15 feet high and 100 yards apart. Sensors placed between the walls, including cameras, detect intruders. [8 http://www.globalsecurity.org... Additional obstacles may be included between the walls, such as barbed wire. The contained access road allows the Border Patrol to rush to an intrusion site before the intruders can traverse the second fence. One design features three rows of closely-spaced four-inch-diameter steel pipes filled with concrete and set in a reinforced concrete foundation. Other designs use welded steel walls.Fencing less effective than the proposed double fence reduced illegal crossings by 94% in the Yuma district. A 1.5 mile strip of even-more secure triple fencing is described as "impenetrable." [9. http://www.csmonitor.com...]2.2 While most of the existing fencing is ineffective at keeping people from crossing the border, it is effective at preventing vehicle crossing. A vehicle barrier constructed on the ecologically sensitive border of Organ Pipe Nation Monument reduced crossings to nearly zero. [10. http://www.nps.gov...]2.3 The cost of double fence varies between $3.8 million and $10 million per mile. [11. http://tinyurl.com...] 700 miles of the fence would cost between $2.6 B and $7 B. The 2012 budget for the Department of Homeland Security is $59.7 billion. However, a fence would last for about 25 years, so the amortized construction cost would be about $ 0.2 B per year. Even when staffing and maintenance costs are added, that's a trivial part of the Homeland Security budget. Costs would be repaid if it it reduced illegal immigration costs by even a half percent.In Israel, a 500 mile high security fence was constructed in 2003 to deter terrorism. "Pursuant to the security fence's "sole purpose of saving lives of innocent citizens who continue to be targeted by the terrorist campaign that began in 2000," there has been more than a 70 percent drop in the number of fatal casualties – … Israel is paying about $3.7 million per mile for its fence – which includes all the techno-sensors and monitors that go with it - and the castle-like structures - once all of the engineering, construction, and operational costs are calculated." [12. http://tinyurl.com...] Terrorists, willing to die in suicide bombing, are considerably more determined than either ordinary illegal immigrants or drug smugglers, yet their fence is effective.A fence on the Egyptian-Israeli completed last year, "curb the illegal entry of migrants from Africa, reduced from more than 2,000 a month in January 2012 to fewer than 40 in December." [13. http://tinyurl.com...] The new fence cost $2.8 million per mile.The U.S. has built quite a bit of ineffective border fencing. It should be replaced with a real, effective, double fence that will provide the security necessary for the enactment of immigration policy reform. The goal of a border fence is deterrence. No border security measure is 100% effective, yet most nations have some border security. The goal is to reduce the costs to society of uncontrolled borders. The cost of a border fence would easily be repaid even if the reduction were a small percentage.The resolution is affirmed.