The only reason razor wire and other physical barriers are effective in preventing the escape of prisoners from a maximum security prison, is because they are supplemented with other measures, including:
1) prohibition and confiscation of tools and materials that may facilitate escape, such as bolt cutters, weapons, explosives, corrosives, or other demolition or construction tools and materials.
2) around the clock stationing of armed guards authorized to use lethal force if necessary to prevent escape.
As long as the American people are unable to stomach such rules of engagement at the border, no amount of barriers or razor wire will prevent unauthorized border crossings.
If the military and other law enforcement are restrained from using physical force, what can prevent illegals from using bolt cutters, ladders, battering rams or even explosives to destroy barriers and cross into the United States?
It’s clear the military won’t use lethal force on unarmed illegals to prevent the destruction of barriers. So does that mean they must wait until the destruction is complete and then apprehend them?
Or can the military and law enforcement be stationed on the Mexican side of the barriers and physically prevent the crossing or prevent the destruction of barriers?
Will they be authorized to turn illegals away prior to crossing or will they need to hold them at taxpayer’s expense? How long will we hold them? Will our military be providing food, clothing and shelter, indefinitely?
What about medical and health care? What about education? Will American taxpayers be required to provide wifi and entertainment as well?
I think the American people need to do some soul searching here - a process that has recently gotten underway with the election of Donald Trump, but is nowhere near complete.
Trump is very wise to force “the conversation” by sending troops to the border one week prior to the midterm elections. He is making the elections about border control. But let’s be clear about this:
Donald Trump can use troops to start a conversation, but he can’t actually solve this problem with troops - only the voters can solve this problem - by electing representatives who are serious about controlling our borders.