Making our borders secure would require a comprehensive effort, but I believe it could be done. It's probably not possible to shut down all border crossings, but I would imagine with even a modest effort we could reduce the flow by 80 percent. That would be a great start.
A big part of the effort would require cracking down hard on businesses and employers who use undocumented or falsely documented migrant labor. What's happening is, they're getting cheap labor and passing all the social costs onto the American taxpayer. Until and unless we get serious about that part of it, we're going to fight a losing battle.
At the same time, we further doom our efforts if we regularize the trespassing by paying for the trespassers' children's educations and such. We cannot send the message that good things come to those who ignore the law and squat on our land long enough.
That could have been said about Will Rogers' proposal to heat up the oceans to 210%. Have you ever seen a serious study (or hearings) about sealing the borders.
We tried our best on a 66 mile stretch in "Operation Gate Keeper". Double fences (some concrete and steel), guard towers, flood lights inferred cameras, ground sensors, patrol roads, horse patrols, ATV patrols, 16 helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, trucks, and a ratio of 25 guards per mile were incorporated.
It was successful in reducing the number if immigrants crossing at that sector. Most just went further East to cross, but still about two hundred thousand are caught each year trying to cross, and another estimated 30 to 40 thousand make it across undetected. They dig under, climb over and break through the fences. That’s an average of 454 to 606 per mile per year.
Extrapolate to the 105,000 miles of U.S. land and sea borders and it equates to 2and1/2 million guards with over 40 million illegals still getting through each year.
Take the time to read the Inspector General's report on Operation Gate Keeper and you will never again respect the intelligence of anyone who says that we can "seal the border".