The Cost of Protecting Our borders Enzo Biasillo Strayer University Abstract Despite the increase in funding over the last decade, the number of illegal aliens entering our country continues to grow. Every year, we allow 750,000 immigrants to enter the country legally and make them eligible for citizenship within five years yet it is estimated that 10 million people reside in our country without legal documentation. Illegal immigration is not just Arizona’s problem, or any of the other bordering states, it is a national problem that is costing United States citizens billions each year. “Political Correctness” forbid certain politicians from calling illegal immigrants what they are at face value: Criminals. They commit an …show more content…
At a cost ranging in the billions, this multi year project was not without costly troubles. A byproduct of the SBI is the Secure Fence Act of 2006. The SFA increased the border control funding from a low of $4.6 billion to $10.4 billion. The goal was to employ the use of technology like radar, cameras and sensors, as well as infrastructure via fences, roads and lighting to detect and deter illegal entry. The focus was on the southwest border at areas deemed “more vulnerable” than other entry points. The fence was to be 700 miles long and equipped with the latest and greatest technology tax payers could buy. The fence was a failure. Radar and motion detectors set off alarms sending in the troops but often they are false alarms. Birds fly into the fence and set the alarms off and even high winds will set it off.(3) What’s the solution? A political debate of course! How can the government ineffectually spend more? A proposal by Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter, called for two fences composed of metal and wire that would run from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast. Additionally, he proposed that a two layer 15’ fence be constructed along the entire length of the U.S/Mexico border. (3) The cost was estimated to be from 4 billion to eight billion dollars for the 2,000 mile fence. A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll indicated that Americans favored a proposal to build a 2,000-mile security fence by a 51-to-37 percent margin.
This writer believes that introduction of the controversial S.B. 1070 was formulated over generations of hate that has been building up from the lack of the federal government to adequately regulate immigration on the southern border of the United States. When Arizona presented the controversial S.B. 1070, this caused many Hispanics across the state to feel “elements of racial profiling, causing fear, confusion, and race-based hostility toward them and their communities” (Campbell, 2011, p 19). However, what many Hispanics do not understand is that the Arizona has been, over time, attempting to pass and also implement other variations of anti-immigration laws, which many have begun to call “e state-sanctioned ethnic-cleansing
Lourdes Medrano is a strong advocate for immigration reform to strengthen the border and the security manning the border. She supports her argument by showing how President George W. Bush’s surge on the US-Mexican border. President Bush doubled the man power along the border, while leading the technological advance on the border. Medrano shows how President Bush brought immigration reform into the spotlight, when roughly 1.6 million immigrants where entering the US illegally. Now the number is historically lower at 356,873 immigrants. The budget for the border patrol has been steadily increasing 1.1 billion in 2001 to 3.5 billion in 2012. Medrano presents how President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act in 2006, which authorized 700 miles of fencing. This his directly contributed to 651 miles of fencing created by 2012. Surge on immigration reform has also doubled the man power from 2001 to 2012, which is exactly what President Bush envisioned. With the border patrol now being a division of Homeland Security and help from the national guard, they have grown much bigger then what they once were. Even the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says that “our borders have, in fact, never been stronger.”
In 2006, in response to the Illegal immigration, Terrorist threats, and Drug trafficking facing the United States, the United States passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. The policy name was called the Secure Fence Act of 2006, policy ID # 109-367 (The White House, 2006). This policy was supposed to build 700 miles of physical barriers, as well as authorizing Homeland Security to intensify advanced technology. Such as cameras, satellites and drones, also including increased checkpoints, ground based sensors, and radar coverage. On May 30, 2008 fence, should have been constructed and fully functional, two layers of reinforced fencing were to be built. Secretary of Homeland Security was to report back to Congress to inform them of the progress
As Franklin D. Roosevelt said “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”As much as people try twisting the president 's words, president Roosevelt meant that this country was founded by immigrants, and therefore we should be accepting. 11.5 million can stand for many things but, in this case according to Pew Research Centers 11.5 million is the number of illegal immigrants that live in the United States as of 2013.One thing that everyone know’s is that Arizona is the number 1 state in the United States that has the most immigration problems. Arizona 's anti-immigrant law, S.B. 1070, Lets Police ask the immigration status of anyone arrested or detained if they suspect that the person is not in the U.S. legally. with this new SB 1070 law it makes it so it is a crime to be caught without papers in the state of Arizona. The state of Arizona should abolish the SB1070 law.
“The United States Congress passed the Secure Fence Act, according to this Act, a law was implemented that the Department of Homeland Security to erect a barrier along 700 miles (1,126 Kilometers) of the Mexican border. Many supporters’ think the wall would stem the tide of illegal immigrant and drug smugglers into the United States. Most Americans were in favor of immigration reform, which, 56 percent opposed the wall According to a May 2006 Gallop Poll” Driscoll Sally & Bourassa, Cheryl.
On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SOLESNA), or Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070, as it is popularly known). The purpose of the act is “... to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States” (Senate Bill 1070, 2010). Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is considered one of the harshest anti-immigration law due to it’s enforcements. Nevertheless, it is not the first law of it’s kind. Geographically, Arizona is prime for an anti-immigration bill such as S.B. 1070, as it is one of four states (including California, Texas, and New Mexico) that borders Mexico. Previously, Arizona
The Department of Homeland Security “dhs” were set to build a total of 370 miles but only completed a 300 mile section by the end of december 2008. The biggest problem that hey rain in too was that they couldn't get all the land that they needed to finish the fence. They reserved the right to build the fence on April 1, 2008. There is still a number of miles that has no wall or fence (vitiello). The wall caused an estimated 4 billion annually to keep the wall maintained. There will also be a cost to pay people to
Illegal immigration is an unintend¬ed result of federal immigration restric¬tions from the shortage of green cards (permanent residence) and temporary work visas available for migrants (Nowrasteh 2). Currently, 73% of the 11.5 million illegal immigrants nationally are located in ten states, including Arizona (Nowrasteh 2). Between 2000 and 2008, Arizona experienced a large increase of illegal immigrants from 330,000 to 560,000 (Nowrasteh 2). The costs of the housing bust and the Great Recession
One of the most controversial topics today in politics is what to do about illegal immigration in the United States. Should we consider all of the illegal immigrants felons? Should we give them full citizenship rights? These are all important questions related to illegal immigration. In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire undocumented workers and imposed fines of up to $11,000 for each violation. Recently, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill, entitled H.R. 4437 (The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005). Just recently, due to massive overpopulation, the problem of illegal immigration is really starting to be taken
Over the past years, our nation has been dealing with immigration issues. The issues have divided our nation and brought about disruption in the nations unity. The immigration topic which has been an issue for many years, was also a major topic in our 2016 presidential election. However not only that, the topic evokes questions about the outcome of our nation's economy, if all illegal immigrants were to be removed.
One of the pros for building the fence is that “control of the borders are required for national security”. With the rise of terrorist groups around the world including
I am writing this letter to respectively bring your attention to the Mexican-American border, its damaging effect on the United States economy, and potential solutions to this specific situation which has become known as the Border Crisis. As you may already know, the border runs from Tijuana, Baja California to Tamaulipas and Texas. According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, the border’s length is 1,954 miles and is the most frequently crossed international border, mainly by undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America. As an attempt to contain this influx of illegal migration, former President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006 stating, “This bill will help protect American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform.” While Mr. Bush may have had the United States’ safety at heart, one must question if the border fence is actually helping the economy or hurting it? There are several problems that have risen following the creation of the border fence; immigrants coming from The Northern Triangle have actually increased, Texas has become the deadliest entry state, undocumented and unaccompanied children are costing taxpayers even more, and simply maintaining the border fence is a very high cost.
Starting in 2006, the United States started to develop the wall along parts of the frontier between U.S. and Mexico. There was 670 miles of the wall authorized to be assembled, and there were many objections to it being built. Besides the oppositions, from 2006 to 2009 there was already more than 100 miles of the wall constructed (Gilman 258). Congress passed the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act” in 1996. The act gave power to the government to create walls or barriers along the border, and it allowed it to seize land from people if it is imperative in protecting the borderline of the country (Gilman 259). In 2006, the “Secure Fence Act” was passed that instructed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a fence stretching from 5 different areas of the border. In 2007, there was 70 miles of the wall built in the Arizona and Mexico frontier. Since this occurrence, the government then shifted its surveillance to the border along Texas and Mexico in 2007, and started suggestions to assemble more than 100 miles of the border wall by 2008 (Gilman 260). Towards the end of 2007, the
The Boeing’s Virtual Fence Project was initiated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stem the continual flow of illegal border crossing along the Mexican Border which had reached epidemic proportions. The main driving force behind the construction of project was the threat of illegal aliens, terrorists, and drug smugglers, which had sparked national security concerns. The Department of Homeland Security had been charged with the sole responsibility of monitoring illegal crossings in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Giving the size and complexity of the project, Boeing was contracted to successfully complete the project at an initial estimate of $1.1 billion which was later revised to $8.0 billion. However, a congressional watchdog group argued that the project cost estimate could rise as much as $30.0 billion.
The defectiveness of border security has been an issue in the United States for decades. When the United States decided to place a small limit to the amount of border crossings, people decided to take it upon themselves to cross over illegally without considering consequences. The Mexican- United States border and the Northern Canadian – United States border have much in common. The Northern border is controlled only so far by patrol before a fence of trees takes the place, making it difficult to get through as they zigzag. Because so many illegal immigrants began to start their lives in America, the United States placed a high fence that ran 200 miles across the states desert territory on the south end. This cause the people over in the Mexican