Lately, it seems that the foreign relations of our country are constantly teetering on the brink of collapse. One of the more pressing issues on this topic is President Donald Trump’s idea to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He claims it is his way of trying to keep undocumented immigrants out of the country. What he fails to realize is that this idea is a morally and physically impossible task to complete, for many reasons.
First of all, building this wall is geographically impossible due to the incredibly diverse terrain of the region. There are some areas that are flat enough to build on, but most of the border is a mix of flatlands, mountainous regions and rivers. Trying to build through these mountains and especially over the Rio Grande would prove to be an impossible feat even with our vast resources. It is very difficult to build a wall with these geographical conditions, and even if the wall is built, it would be no better than the current border security. Currently, there is already a fencing system on the border which is guarded by patrols 24/7.
This brings me to my next point of how there is already a wall of sorts in place with the fencing system. The original fencing, which was built back in 1994, was mainly used to keep illegal drugs from entering the country, which it did not succeed in doing. In 2006, Congress passed a bill, known as the Secure Fencing Act, that would build a proper border. This, however, was never completed. Why did they never finish it? Reasons included the aforementioned harsh terrain and the extensive funding required. The project would require millions upon millions of dollars and extensive manpower. If we tried to continue with it, these costs would just raise our national debt further, which, I might add, is already over $19 trillion.
This wall is not only a physical impossibility but is also morally wrong. It could strain our relations with the people of Mexico. Also, this idea for a wall creates a distorted image of what Mexico is like. Mexico has an incredibly diverse culture with many things to learn about. By building this wall, we are keeping Mexico at arm’s length and treating the country like nothing but a bother. What is the government going to say next? Do we need to build an impossible wall on the border to Canada next? With a wall on the Mexican border, we are going against every idea that this country was founded on. The United States of America is supposed to be the land of the free, but all we are doing is shutting people out. I understand the desire for control over what is going on, but all we are doing is daring them to try harder to get over here.
My final point on this topic is actually quite a simple one. What would building a wall accomplish? They could simply fly over it if they have the resources. They could also find some way to knock it down. President Trump has said the wall could be anywhere from 25 to 55 feet tall. So what? As the old saying goes, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Building a big bad wall is not going to scare anyone into listening to Trump. Most of the country is saying that this wall should not be built, so even if construction is started it most likely will not be finished.
I understand what Trump is trying to accomplish. He is trying to create more jobs and improve our economy. However, kicking out the many illegal immigrants in our country is not a solution. One could say that this is comparable to when President Andrew Jackson started the Trail of Tears for Native Americans in the 1830s. Many undocumented immigrants have found homes here. They also have jobs and families to take care of. Uprooting them would not help. Maybe we could work on speeding up the process for allowing new immigrants into the country instead of making it take months or even years.
I am not writing this to start a war or conflict. I am writing this to inspire change.
Jonathan Joyner
jrjoyner
