Shots across the US/MEX border

The Economist ^ | Jan 12th 2006 | The Economist

[VU4G10]

"Fences on urban stretches of the border in California and Texas have pushed migrants to the Arizona desert"

IT WORKS! BUILD IT NOW!

[pcottraux]

I saw on O'Reilly last night that it's looking like a move is finally underway to militarize the border. The governor of Arizona is pushing the Pentagon for National Guard troops along the south.

[pcottraux]

I believe personally that the military would solve the problem. A fence or wall would be too costly and hard to build...considering that troops on the border would eliminate the problem with much less trouble.

[SmoothTalker]

"He said migrants were “heroes”, who will in any event find ways to cross the border. "

Thats what passes for a hero in Mexico? A criminal. Jesus Cristo.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Nevertheless, the Sensenbrenner bill has caused outrage south of the border. Mr Fox called it shameful. He said migrants were “heroes”, who will in any event find ways to cross the border. Luis Derbez, his foreign minister, called the bill “stupid” and “underhand”.

If they don't believe in the rule of law, why should we care what they think?

Maybe it's time to liberate Mexico from a corrupt regime. Did anyone see any WMD's down there???

[oldleft]

I would have sympathy for the Mexican government if not for the fact that 10% of their population has left due to the fact that Mexico is a corrupt, third world, alter worshiping, uneducated, economically stratified s**thole.

[pcottraux]

Well of course he says that. Mexican immigrants sending money back to relatives is the only economy Mexico has. There's no money or industry at all otherwise.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Put the National Guard on the border with orders to seal it. It could be a matter of national survival.

[Travis McGee]

Time for a quick primer on the actual current state of the physical border.

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.

[GarySpFc]

Politicians will accept the Guard or more enforcement on the border, because they know those can be easily removed later when the heat is off. We need twin 15 foot high fences exactly like the kind Israel has now. It works there, and it will work here NOW.

[oldleft]

This is what I've seen along the border where the I-5 crossing is. Looks good, but it inexplicably ends at "smugglers gultch" about half a mile or so from the beach.

[GarySpFc]

I've heard about these concrete pilings, which reportedly are 8 inches apart? Can a person squeeze between them?

[oldleft]

I don't think you could even squeeze a baby through. And judging by the "migrant workers" I see around California they could be 3 feet apart and they could get through.

[yoe]

I vote for the National Guard on the border instead of a fence.

[Gordongekko909]

It'll work even better here, because we (generally) don't have Kassim rockets to worry about.

[cabojoe]

Actually what I read was that the governor of Arizona wants to put National Guard troops at border crossings to "relieve" border patrol officers for other duties. It isn't going to help until the border is militarized and/or properly fenced. She is asking for 100 million bucks to hand out, instead of using it to stop the problem at the source. Napolitano has found a cash cow, and will milk it for everything it's worth.

[SmoothTalker]

"I vote for the National Guard on the border instead of a fence.
"

How many troops would it take to secure a border that long?

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Lwas are just words and will NOT stop mexican criminals from coming across the border.

[litehaus]

Shucks....I thought you were asking for AMMO donations.....