Tom Tancredo's Wall [turn(S) the United States into the world's largest gated community.]

Wall Street Journal ^ | 12/29/05 | Review & Outlook

[harpu]

"We have a supply and a demand problem. The supply problem is coming across the border. We are in this bill doing something very specific about that with the inclusion of the amendment, with the passage of the amendment, to build some barrier along at least 700 miles of our southern border. I hope we continue with that, by the way, along the entire border, to the extent it is feasible, and the northern border we could start next." -- Rep. Tom Tancredo (R., Colo.)

So there you have it. Tom Tancredo has done everyone a favor by stating plainly the immigration rejectionists' end-game -- turn the United States into the world's largest gated community. The House took a step in that direction this month by passing another immigration "reform" bill heavy with border control and business harassment and light on anything that will work in the real world.

For the past two decades, border enforcement has been the main focus of immigration policy; by any measure, the results are pitiful. According to the Migration Policy Institute, "The number of unauthorized migrants in the United States has risen to almost 11 million from about four million over the past 20 years, despite a 519% increase in funding and a 221% increase in staffing for border patrol programs."

Given that record, it's hard to see the House Republican bill as much more than preening about illegal immigration. The legislation is aimed at placating a small but vocal constituency that wants the borders somehow sealed, come what may to the economy, American traditions of liberty or the Republican Party's relationship with the increasingly important Latino vote.

-big giant snip-

...At some point, the president of the United States will have to get behind the Statue of Liberty or Tom Tancredo's wall.

[SolutionsOnly]

can the US prosecute maybe 5 Million employers?

It would only take a couple hundred or so high profile cases for employers to perceive an unacceptable risk and clean up their acts.

[T. Rustin Noone]

There's another alternative - annex Mexico.

At numerous times in our history, we have found it in our interest to expand our borders to meet national our needs or to respond to national opportunities.

I think we should begin by offering statehood to the provinces (states) closest to the southern border. For the right to participate in our republican democracy, the residents therein will get access to our health care system, social programs, judicial system, federal minimum wage programs, federal highway system, a stable currency and the protection of the US military and much, much more. In addition, they will get two senators per state, a representative number of congress critters and whatever local government officials are allowed by law. They will have the opportunity to have their resources developed by private (not state-run) companies to the benefit of the stockholders.

If you look at the geography and the geometry of central America, the need to build walls decreases as you move south. By the time we have allowed the Mexicans to be swallowed by us, the border is a fraction of the 700 miles quoted in the article.

And why stop there. The rational stopping point is the Panama Canal where we can reclaim our vital Atlantic/Pacific link from COSCO that the idiot savant Carter gave up in 1978.

[GarySpFc]

The best approach is a phased in plan, which makes it imcreasingly difficult for illegal aliens to find work due to a strictly enforced employer verification. They would be replaced by guest workers who can be controlled.

[Travis McGee]

For those of you who don't know the actual physical state or condition of our border, here is a quick tutorial to bring you up to speedl.

This is what most of our southern border looks like: there is no government-built fence at all. There is often just whatever is left over from some forgotten cattle fence, built privately to keep U.S. cattle from wandering freely into Mexico. For hundreds of miles there is not even a broken cattle fence, there is nothing at all.

For comparison, below the broken cattle fence photo is a sample of an inexpensive but highly effective double border fence system, with a plowed strip to reveal footprints. This type of system is very cheap and can be built with great speed.

Here is what some of San Diego County has: a wall made of rusty Viet Nam-era runway mats. The corrugations are even horizontal, (to make climbing easier?) The illegals in this photo were spotted by unexpected civilian volunteers, and jumped back over the border.

Here is what the border looks like where the runway mat wall exists. Mexico begins on the other side of the ineffective rusty wall, which actually helps the smugglers, by hiding their movements until the occasional USBP vehicle has driven out of sight.

This is how "the game" is played. Smugglers hide on the other side of the wall with their dope and/or their illegals, out of sight of the USBP. They wait for the highly visible white BP vehicle to drive over the distant hills. Lookouts with cell phones and walkie-talkies report on the current locations of the BP units. They know with certainty that "the coast is clear" for an hour or two, and the smugglers and illegals hop the fence and run into the scrub only 50 yards away. From there, they are out of sight, and they walk 1-2 miles to holding houses. Then they wait for nightfall, and are picked up and driven in vans to LA or San Diego.

Lastly, below is the Duncan Hunter 15' fence, which is already being built along a few "showplace" miles of San Diego, mainly near the ports of entry, where panderng politicians can conveniently show it off to gullible reporters. The House has approved building 700 miles of it, which would be a great start. As you can see, the rusty runway wall is seen at the left side, Mexico begins on the other side. In areas with the 15 foot fence, dope smugglers and illegals will have to cross the open sand ("the government road" as it is called) before starting to try to get over the 15 foot fence. It's extremely tough, and resists cutting. Attacking the fence would have to be done right out in the open, in full view of cameras. This type of fence, on the U.S. side of the government road, will give the USBP a barrier to patrol, instead of forcing them to chase illegals around 100,000 square miles of wide-open frontier land, which is a fool's errand.

This is the fence the WSJ opposes, precisely because they know it would be effective, and would cut off their endless flood of dirt-cheap illegal alien labor.

[Mad Dawgg]

ping for some help viewing article :)

[hedgetrimmer]

There's another alternative - annex Mexico

NAFTA did it.

[right-wingin_It]

...Those jobs that illegals do because Americans are cheap and/or lazy, will just go away and Americans take care of their own kids, clean their houses, mow their lawns and clean their own pools...

EXACTLY! I blow my top evertime someone says 'we need these people to do jobs that none of us want to do.' First of all, we would do them because they would pay more if Illegals weren't doing them. We're getting raped on the price of vegetables anyways. Any additional costs to the econpmy would be offset by the unpaid health care the illegas get. In the eend though, its not really about the money..its about principle.

[right-wingin_It]

Oops..Sorry about the typos...Please don't send me to FR hell!

[meadsjn]

A practical solution is needed for the border. A massive roundup of illegals would be extraordinarily expensive while at the same time damaging the economy. A low ball estimate of $15k per catch for say 15 Million illegals would come to $225 Billion. Ouch.

Seizing all the assets of those who hire illegal aliens would pay for the border fence and most of the enforcement. That is a practical solution.

Like any other crime, when the risks outweigh the rewards, occurrences will decrease.

[jackbenimble]

In addition, they will get two senators per state, a representative number of congress critters and whatever local government officials are allowed by law.

And 7 out of 10 of these 100+ million new citizens would vote Democrat. Practically all of the 120+ new US Representatives and 16 new US Senators (I think Mexico has 8 states) would be voting for Democrats. Poor people are overwhelmingly seduced by the call for "social justice" and socialism.

Annexing Mexico would be national suicide.

[SC33]

And we wonder why Republicans get criticized for being overly accomodating to big business and big donors. This is not the position of most Republicans.

Harpu---Check any of the polls, and you will see that Tancredo's position is not considered extreme by very many people at all. His positions are in agreement with a large percentage of mainstream Republicans, and many working class Democrats as well. It would be foolish for Bush and the GOP leadership to ignore this. I'm not against a TEMPORARY guestworker program down the road, but I am also not against building a wall and securing our borders.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Good post and an accurate assessment of the WSJ's dishonesty when it comes to immigration. If you haven't already read this smackdown:

A Nation of Widgets: The Wall Street Journal and Open Borders

[T. Rustin Noone]

Of course the beauty of the system is that the number of representatives in the House would not change (as is mandated by law). Only the size of the Districts. I understand your point about the perception that the Mexican citizens would be prone to vote Democrat, but they are by-and-large much more conservative socially than most people allow. At many levels it's a simple trade - your resources (natural and human) for our structure and organization.

[rcocean]

Thanks for the link.

Great article.

[chronic_loser]

the House Republican bill as much more than preening about illegal immigration. The legislation is aimed at placating a small but vocal constituency that wants the borders somehow sealed, come what may to the economy,
...At some point, the president of the United States will have to get behind the Statue of Liberty or Tom Tancredo's wall.

I just cant WAIT to see the sober, reasoned, judicious responses to this one!

[television is just wrong]

Then what is going to be done, when entering the Home Depot Parking lot, and I am met at the entrance by four men trying to crawl in my car, and my children are screaming for help out of fear??

When you are overweight, you have to start losing weight with the first pound.

We have to start house by house, street by street locating, documenting, and any individuals who are criminals, deporting. 75% of the inmate population in California, are illegal aliens,


They come here for a better life, "YOURS". Are you willing to give it to them???

[Brian Allen]

<< I thought the WSJ was above such misinformation and distortion. Shame on me. >>

Are you kidding.

Barring bits of the editorial page the WSJ is objectively rated America's most leftward leaning major paper.

See: http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=6664 , EG.

Even the UCLA's lefties find it so.

[Freebird Forever]

Essentially, the Wall Street Journal is not conservative but solely concerned about money.

You're correct.

Capitalists, Conservatives, Christians, Republicans and Patriots may share overlapping positions from time to time. But each group has characteristics and goals which the others do not possess.

The more corrupt the politician, the more influence the Capitalist's wield.