Brian Wagner
Eng-1102-115
Essay #1- The Border Fence
9/16/13
In the essay “The Fence of Lies” the author Mario Vargas Llosa’s thesis is that the border fence between Mexico and the United States is a bad idea and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Some of the main points he uses to strengthen his argument are that it is purely a political ploy to get officials re-elected, that the fence is far too costly and the construction will never happen, and the money should be spent elsewhere. In addition, we should allow immigrants an open door policy into our country because of the immense contribution they make to our economy and that they are willing to do the jobs that most Americans will not. Vargas Llosa’s most compelling argument is that
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He uses an example of this woman Emerita, who emigrated from Guatemala and started up a housecleaning business, through hard work and persistence, is making $96,000 dollars a year. He does not say if she is legal now, but uses this as a generalization of the type of people we are denying into our country by not having an open border. I do not believe that this woman portrays the average migrant worker in our country. Most work for less than minimum wage, have no benefits, and do not pay taxes, which; are the main reasons Americans are unwilling to work those jobs, not because they are afraid of hard work as Vargas Llosa implies. In addition, he does not mention the gunrunners, drug smugglers and possible terrorists who would all have free access in or out of our country as well. Immigration into our country is a privilege for these people not a right, so why should we, as Americans, not have the right to be selective about who we let in? As an alternative to this point, Vargas Llosa states that if we wish to stop this flow of people into our country then we should use that “6 billion” (1) dollars to create jobs and try to stimulate opportunities south of the border. This statement is a bit of a stretch considering that the U.S. went into a recession
“And then there are the immigrants themselves, who have shown surprising political muscle, especially in response to legislation passed by the House that would turn the illegal aliens among them into felons” (Chavez 435). She shows anger towards these politicians which shows that she is on the immigrants’ side. Immigrants and politicians reading this essay would see that she is passionate about defending immigrants. She also adds sarcasm by adding pauses after some sentences; “As the restrictions see it, if the U.S. got serious about defending its borders, there would be plenty of American willing to do the jobs now performed by workers from abroad…” (Chaves 436). This pause indicates that she knows Americans would not be able to hold these jobs, therefore, showing her audience that it would be better to help immigrants
Mexican Border Problems The U.S.-Mexico border region is one of the most dynamic in the world. It extends more than 3,100 kilometers (2,000 miles) from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, and 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) on each side of the international border and is marked by high concrete fences in the west and a broad shallow river in the east when it reaches Texas. The region includes large deserts, numerous mountain ranges, rivers, wetlands, large estuaries, and shared aquifers. While its people share natural resources like water and air, the border region is characterized by many social, economic, and political contrasts.
Officials are taking steps to curb illegal immigration which include trying to figure out how to handle the current border crisis. There are many solutions to handle the border crisis. One solution would be to establish new policies to help control the crisis. But before new policies are created this country needs a new Congress. Therefore it would be essential to elect an entirely new set of individuals to Congress. Maybe with a new Congress, they would work together so that they could get something done. It is also important to examine the border security policies and asylum processes of other countries. This would help the United States see how other countries handle the asylum process so that they could determine how the asylum process in this country could change.
Many people are unaware of the heartbreak that takes place on our border in the south. Between the media and uneducated Americans, the immigration at the border needs to be addressed or our country will be overrun with illegals according to the news and social media. The true heart-breaking story cannot be told or our country would not stand for this inhuman behavior. There are many reasons for crossing the border illegally. For instance, women could be fleeing for their life, looking for freedom, wanting the chance to raise their family without the fear of abuse, or just because someone told them their life would be better if they could just get into the United States. Regardless the reason, everyone should at least be asked why they are willing to risk their life and their families lives to live in the United States?
Economically, he states "A Texas roofing contractor testified to Congress that he couldn't get enough roofers at $9 an hour. Okay, increase it to $10 or $12. Higher wages will bring forth more workers.” Hence, making his point real if this economy had a surplus amount of workers. Immigrants today take jobs others do not want, why should it bother us? As for amnesty, Samuelson states “If we control new inflows, we should legalize the illegal immigrants already here.” Immigrants are being exploited and deprived of their rights; their children are being born in the United States, as a result making them U.S citizens. Why force them to leave if they caused no harm, they may have broken the law because of our easy immigration policy then, but a chance given to them may benefit many.
Since America is a capitalist society, the objective of life is to make as much money as possible. When the government collects immigrant’s money, that money gets redistributed into the economy for other people to earn. In this recession the US needs to continuously put money into the economy and illegal immigrants help with that.
ICE stands for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they deal with matters concerning border control, customs, trade and immigration to insure public safety and homeland security. Their priorities focus on preventing terrorism and the illegal movement of items, as well as people. Within ICE, there are three subgroups that fall into specialized tasks for the agency, such as Homeland security investigations (HSI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Although being a fairly new agency there has been more than a few controversies on how ICE handles the illegal immigrants, however, since 9/11 the U.S has been trying to find the most effective ways to stop terrorism. So, that also means that not everyone would agree with the tactics that ICE used to solve the problem for those specific cases.
The U.S. Border Patrol to me is very important to the United States of America and to me as well. Without the Border Patrol, America would be a goat standing in the middle of a wolf cage. The Border Patrol and their agents border the boundaries of America so we can be safe in our homes. People don’t realize how important any kind of law enforcement is, until the day that they need assistance comes. I don’t take our men and women who protect us Americans; it is something that not everyone can say that they have. I have no one in my family that has worked with the Border Patrol, and I want to be the first in my family to join the Border Patrol. I am from Del Rio Texas, a border town neighbors with Mexico. The U.S. Border
Did you know that it will cost billions to finish the border wall between U.S and Mexico? Do you know where is Trump is going to get billions from ? Tax payers. Congress has no idea where to get the money to fund the building of the border wall between the U.S and Mexico. The fence will not stop immigrants from coming into the country at all, there are ways that people from Mexico can enter the U.S legally. The border wall is too expensive and impractical for us to continue building to complete it, it’s going to take 4 years for the border wall to completely finish covering the remaining 1,250 miles. A border wall won’t solve any terrorist problem that we as a country have. We shouldn’t continuing the building of the U.S- Mexico border because it just a waste of time and money because it will take 4 years for the border wall to be completely finish the border and maybe after the wall is finish, May not Trump won’t be president The border wall won’t help the crime rate go down in the U.S.
Decreasing illegal immigration was Donald Trump’s main plan for the wall. Research has shown that only about 9,000 of the average hundreds of thousands of people that attempt to illegally immigrate across the border each
“However, they also take away value by weakening the legal and national security environment. When three out of every 100 people in America are undocumented (or, rather, documented with forged and faked papers), there is a profound security problem. Even though they pose no direct security threat, the presence of millions of undocumented migrants distorts the law, distracts resources, and effectively creates a cover for terrorists and criminals.” http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/03/the-real-problem-with-immigration-and-the-real-solution
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration
United States Border Patrol has been around since 1904 enforcing and regulating laws under the immigration and Nationality Act. U.S. border patrol is now under the Department of Homeland Security, which was created as a response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Over the years, their jurisdiction and missions have changed to better protect the safety of nation. Although border patrol is a need for any nation, their extensive acceptations to constitutional laws can often be taken advantage of. The mission of the U.S. border patrol should be to prevent illegal aliens, which are a threat to American society, from reaching their purpose. Frequently, their purpose can be confused or executed in a bias manner.
Throughout history of the United States and Mexican border there has been multiple depths of changes and immigration. From the area trading country ownership to population changes to having a fence line created on it. Seen in Figure1, the U.S.-
also a concern many people are having, and talking about. The amount given back by illegals such as spending of their money in businesses, I don't believe is equal to services and resources used yearly. It has been known that many of the illegal workers return a lot of the income earned back to their homeland.