First, my understanding is we have about 20k border patrol agents TOTAL. Yes, a majority are on the Southern border but not all of them. Let's just pretend we do have 20k on the southern border. They don't work 24/7. Let's again speculate and say 3 shifts of 8 hours. That means you have 6,667 agents on the border at one time. That is about 3 per mile. In reality, it is less than that. Not all border patrol agents are on the border patroling. Some are at the offices, some are processing illegals, etc. Plus, some of the areas are extremely remote and we have little outposts. The agents travel to these areas and stay in small groups for a week or so at a time. They are guarding a massive area and just try to find the most often used trails. You would have to build unbelievable infrastructure with bases, man power, and helicopters all along the border to truly stop the flow of illegals. Basically, you would have to militarize the border. It's not happening. Decent surveilance equipment would likely require running electricity the entire length of the wall. Is that included in the 35 billion dollar price tag?
You don't realize it, but you are making the case for a physical barrier by explaining the extreme difficulty of the task Border Patrol has been given. What you are describing is what you'd have to do without a physical barrier, it's significantly easier and requires a lot less manpower with the barriers in place buying them time to respond. It's much easier to just walk across the border than it would be to climb over a barrier even if you happened to bring ladders with you while walking through the desert. The surveillance equipment is key to making it work with the physical barrier. The more you point out how difficult the task is, the more it makes sense to make that task easier by building the physical barrier.
There is a border zone that extends 100 miles in from the border. If you've ever been to the border, you'll know that most of the border agents aren't actually working on the border or all that near it. The big one TX 281 up towards San Antonio is near a little town named Falfurrias. No reason your know where that is but if you Google it, you can get an idea how deep the Border Patrol works into the state away from the actual border.
I am not arguing that a wall along with increased technology and manpower would slow the flow of illegals. I'm saying we won't build the necessary infrastructure and we won't pay the yearly nut to properly secure the border with or without the wall. That is why I would rather have a worker verification system. If they come here illegally and can't get work it is more of a deterrent than an unguarded wall that can be cut with a battery powered grinder you can pick up at Home Depot for 250 bucks.
Again, why not do both? What you are arguing is that not only is there no barrier now, but the border is unguarded.....that's not making the case you think it's making. Also, if you are going to cut a steel beam that towers 20 or 30 feet over your head, you are absolutely suicidal, better hope it falls the right way....and you are going to spend a LONG time out there if all you have is a battery powered grinder. I hope you bring a lot of backup battery packs and grinding wheels assuming you have enough time to even finish the job before Border Patrol shows up. I think you were thinking of metal saws, and the type you'd need to do the job aren't battery powered, so you'd need to haul a generator with you across the desert.....then gamble that the steel falls the proper direction and doesn't kill or maim you. Oh, and hope you don't get arrested afterwards because now you've committed a far more serious crime than just illegal entry. This kind of nonsense is sort of like asking why banks have vaults if people can still get into them.
Unless Congress supports his wall/border security plan they will defund it and use the courts to slow it down even if he uses the emergency funding. California probably has the 9th Circuit judge on speed dial. Instead of getting nothing I would rather see Trump get SOMETHING that will help the illegal immigration problem. An underfunded wall isn't going to make a difference. Especially when a large percentage of illegals come in through the airports and overstay visas.
The Side Door Cafe in Falfurrias is solid. I had a comically amazing experience at the Border Patrol station in New Mexico around White Sands and Alamogordo, about 80 miles north of El Paso.
Apprehensions and illegal immigration declined after construction of the US border wall. Which obviously means walls don't work.
https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/ana-navarro-files-her-nails-181244380.html America is watching, keep up the bs.
A new trump tweet, an old trump lie... if the wall financial benefits are so significant and clear cut, why don't they provide an analysis that shows how? If the wall is so important, why does trump lie so much about it? Fact check: Mexico will 'indirectly' pay for a border wall through the new trade deal https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/10/fact-check-mexico-border-wall-1073928
So, according to both your data and your claim it declined dramatically since "construction of the U.S. border wall", then obviously no new spend or construction is needed. Its already done its job. So we can move on to another, better use of $2B, $5B, or the $50B trump wants to waste on his new vanity wall. btw, your conclusion is both simplistic and dishonest... multiple things have contributed to the decline in apprehensions.
Interesting, should trump try to work around congress to force his vanity wall via declaration of a national emergency.
No, Mexico isn't paying for border wall through USMCA trade deal, despite Donald Trump's claims By Miriam Valverde on Friday, January 4th, 2019 at 3:19 p.m https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-...ca-trade-deal-wont-pay-border-wall-despite-d/
An NY Times podcast of an interview with the Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona who says in response to the question whether there's a border "crisis": "Michael, yes. And it's not Trump's crisis or this administration's crisis. This has been a crisis the entire 31 years I've been in this valley." right around the 4 minute mark https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/...action=click&module=Briefings&pgtype=Homepage
Funny how that works. Ah 2006, back in the days when even Democrats knew that border barriers worked.
You know she's literally a paid Republican strategist, right? She's worked for Jeb Bush, John McCain and John Huntsman.
she is an avid supporter/fundraiser of Bob Menedez because 'hes part of the family'. She donates to DWS amongst other dems. She's a Dem.
