Oh come now. What's a couple of billion? That's how much a border fence would cost. $2 billion ain't nothing. A water droplet in the Pacific.
And it would not be "useless." A strong border fence with round-the-clock surveillance would decrease illegal immigration by over 90%.
Key among these is strong enforcement actions on businesses who hire them (knowlingly OR unknowingly). The owners of said businesses should face stiff fines AND prison time.
You have to look at the root of the problem. Why are businesses paying illegals under the table? Blame the tax code. Blame the suffocating cost of doing business in America. Running a business is a nightmare now. Although I disagree with what these businesses are doing, I empathize with their predicament.
For a short while. Then new modes of "coyoteing" would be developed, and the level would be back up.
No. The ONLY thing that will deter them is to make if extremely difficult to make a living, and to increase the probability that they will be found and deported.
The "fence" is a fake panacea.
"You have to look at the root of the problem. Why are businesses paying illegals under the table? Blame the tax code. Blame the suffocating cost of doing business in America. Running a business is a nightmare now. Although I disagree with what these businesses are doing, I empathize with their predicament."
Bullshit. MOST businesses succeed without hiring illegal immmigrants. The ONLY reason businesses do so is pure greed, which is why the penalties should be raised to the point that any possible profit will "disappear" if the business is found to be hiring illegals.