Life follows Art: feels like scenes from "No Country for Old Men"....
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Everyone, including I suspect even Trump partisans, knew a big wall won't work in every part of the border. Geography and in some places private land ownership and drawn out eminent domain litigation say it won't work everywhere. But a large barrier will be appropriate in some places, along with high tech methods and horse patrols and drones and sensors and cameras.
Even if employment possibilities for Mexicans and Central Americans dried up, you would still need a secure border to guard against terrorists, and the cartels.
Even if employment possibilities for Mexicans and Central Americans dried up, you would still need a secure border to guard against terrorists, and the cartels.
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The Border Patrol's mission is to not only stop people from entering the U.S. illegally, but to seize drugs, too.
Best estimates, even with stepped up security, about 170,000 people manage to enter illegally annually.
As for drugs, the Congressional Research Service 10 months ago found that Mexican heroin production and smuggling are exploding, with this result:
"Heroin-related overdose deaths increased by 244% between 2007 and 2013. While there has been an increase of heroin overdoses and heroin-related deaths across the United States, the Midwest and Northeast regions have been highlighted as areas of particular."
Turns out horses are of very limited value in staunching the flow of people and drugs because both commonly cross the border hidden at official ports of entry all along the border. Drugs, especially, are overwhelmingly illicitly transported in big rig trucks.
The U.S someday will have to wake up to the fact that the double addiction to cheap Mexican labor and drugs will keep the pump south of the border perpetually primed.
Best estimates, even with stepped up security, about 170,000 people manage to enter illegally annually.
As for drugs, the Congressional Research Service 10 months ago found that Mexican heroin production and smuggling are exploding, with this result:
"Heroin-related overdose deaths increased by 244% between 2007 and 2013. While there has been an increase of heroin overdoses and heroin-related deaths across the United States, the Midwest and Northeast regions have been highlighted as areas of particular."
Turns out horses are of very limited value in staunching the flow of people and drugs because both commonly cross the border hidden at official ports of entry all along the border. Drugs, especially, are overwhelmingly illicitly transported in big rig trucks.
The U.S someday will have to wake up to the fact that the double addiction to cheap Mexican labor and drugs will keep the pump south of the border perpetually primed.
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China manufactures and distributes (direct and secondary) the majority of fentanyl and carfentanil, which are incredibly potent and causing the inadvertent overdoses. Fields of opium poppies in Mexico seem quaint in comparison.
It's also not an 'addiction' to cheap labor, the gray market here does all the work nobody wants to do like: cleaning houses, roofing, picking fruit and vegetables, cleaning operating rooms, slaughterhouse work, etc. Wages have to go ridiculously high to convince unemployed white kids to fill this labor category. The consequence here is economic slow down and inflation.
It's also not an 'addiction' to cheap labor, the gray market here does all the work nobody wants to do like: cleaning houses, roofing, picking fruit and vegetables, cleaning operating rooms, slaughterhouse work, etc. Wages have to go ridiculously high to convince unemployed white kids to fill this labor category. The consequence here is economic slow down and inflation.
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@C
The fact that the wages would have to go high reflects the legal free market here in america. Just because you don't WANT to pay someone a high wage for horrible, difficult, and dangerous work doesn't justify hiring illegals. These rich businesses (who you are shilling for) are BETRAYING american workers by depressing wages. Your solution to "economic slow down and inflation": take advantage of poor desperate people at the expense of our own workers, is DEFINITELY IMMORAL.
The fact that the wages would have to go high reflects the legal free market here in america. Just because you don't WANT to pay someone a high wage for horrible, difficult, and dangerous work doesn't justify hiring illegals. These rich businesses (who you are shilling for) are BETRAYING american workers by depressing wages. Your solution to "economic slow down and inflation": take advantage of poor desperate people at the expense of our own workers, is DEFINITELY IMMORAL.
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This is another quagmire with no real solution. Certainly we should protect our borders but there must be a better method than this.
A good piece but not enough photos of the horses and riders! A lifelong horseman and backcountry rider and cow pusher, I know for fact certain that horses can, and want to go where machines and walkers don't do well. Good horses like to learn new things, work hard, and form partnerships with us. These horses are healthy, well-ridden with fine tack. Please note that in our first Afghanistan war, which we and the Afghan military won, our Special Forces were mounted, a cavalry. In the final battle of that war, there was in fact an actual cavalry charge. In WW II, a Russian cavalry division stopped a German tank assault. So, like the Border Patrol, saddle up and ride, ride, ride! It will keep you young at heart.
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Amen to that. And the horse will pick up many little things that are out there and transmit them to the rider. They work as a team.
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I grew up in the Rio Grande valley. The constant stream of drugs across the border is and has always been a problem. The Texas Department of Public Safety runs undercover operations to apprehend drug smugglers and the Border Patrol work hard to combat the problem. It is especially difficult during the scorching summers of deep south Texas. We would see empty gallon jugs along the train tracks...a sign that illegal immigrants had been in the area. I do not believe that a wall is the answer. The geography alone makes the idea untenable, not to mention the cost.
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BLM's Wild Horse Program is located at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas. There is no "Kansas City Correctional Facility."
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The Homeland Security Department estimates that the Border Patrol catches about 54 percent of illegal border crossers. (Many experts thinks the 54-percent apprehensive rate is exaggerated.) In 2016 the Border Patrol apprehended 415,816 illegal border crossers. If the official apprehension rate is correct, about 400,000 sneaked past the Border Patrol last year. In addition, the Homeland Security Department estimates that more than 400,000 people who enter the country legally overstay their visas each year.
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The first comment I wrote on this story hasn't appeared, so I'll have another go.
If your headline references horses, and the lead photo shows agents on horseback, and references to the Mustangs agents ride appear throughout the article, maybe throw in more info on the horses, such as if the agents work 10 hour days, do the horses, too? What care do the horses receive to ensure their health? What I'd most like to know is what happens to the Mustangs when their careers are over?
Thanks.
If your headline references horses, and the lead photo shows agents on horseback, and references to the Mustangs agents ride appear throughout the article, maybe throw in more info on the horses, such as if the agents work 10 hour days, do the horses, too? What care do the horses receive to ensure their health? What I'd most like to know is what happens to the Mustangs when their careers are over?
Thanks.
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The article is about illegal immigration more than horses.
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I disagree. Read my second sentence.
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Horses must be much cheaper and more efficient than the pricey technology...and they make fertilizer too!
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Can a wall down the middle of the Rio Grande be feasible with the current engineering state of the art?
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they shut me up . . . when i suggested a wall on each side, in the interests of some parity, or equitable Corp of Engineer redundancy type project.
hey, 2 walls!! they could double as a 'moat', for instance,
or heck, if the warder continues to flow, they could be used to direct the river, like a
Giant Channel.
wuz not to like???
hey, 2 walls!! they could double as a 'moat', for instance,
or heck, if the warder continues to flow, they could be used to direct the river, like a
Giant Channel.
wuz not to like???
nice reporting... a movie, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" (2005)
paints a more intimate portrait.
paints a more intimate portrait.
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The article could have been sub-titled "Boys with Toys." Texas law enforcement sprinting down the Rio Grande in a fast boat, wind blowing their hair, officers on horses, reliving a bygone era, with their custom "Border Patrol" spurs, and blimps with undoubtedly very expensive surveillance equipment watching over who-knows-what.
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It seems you didn't understand the article.
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It seems there is a multitude of ways to protect the border without spending billions for a wall which, in the end, will not work. Horse patrols, sky surveillance, hey, how about drones? And in case anyone did not get the memo, Mexico is not going to pay for Trump's wall.
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We need to defend our borders. But the most effective way to do that is to reduce the amount of people who *want* to cross. Right now, the border agents have to spend a huge amount of time and money dealing with people crossing who are just coming to find work, distracting them from catching the drug dealers/gang members who are crossing along with them.
The best way to reduce the numbers is to very heavily punish businesses that are caught using illegal labor. Heavy fines and jail time will dry out the "market" for illegal labor, and force businesses to hire American workers (which they should be doing in the first place).
Let's punish the immoral businesses that are CHOOSING to hire illegals, instead of wasting huge amounts of money chasing our tail trying to track down every dirt-poor Mexican that is just trying to make a living for their family. Once the jobs go away, 90% of the crossings will vanish, and our guys can spend time on getting the real bad guys. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to punish some of these businesses that have been immorally and illegally hiring non-americans? What's wrong with them? Time to bring the hammer down on these traitors.
The best way to reduce the numbers is to very heavily punish businesses that are caught using illegal labor. Heavy fines and jail time will dry out the "market" for illegal labor, and force businesses to hire American workers (which they should be doing in the first place).
Let's punish the immoral businesses that are CHOOSING to hire illegals, instead of wasting huge amounts of money chasing our tail trying to track down every dirt-poor Mexican that is just trying to make a living for their family. Once the jobs go away, 90% of the crossings will vanish, and our guys can spend time on getting the real bad guys. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to punish some of these businesses that have been immorally and illegally hiring non-americans? What's wrong with them? Time to bring the hammer down on these traitors.
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You have no idea what you're talking about. The gray market provide the labor for all the unseen, undesirable work Americans refuse to do. Mexicans aren't stealing jobs, lazy, entitled Americans would rather be unemployed than do the back breaking, dirty, unsavory, and incredibly necessary work illegals do.
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Don't forget to bring the hammer down on all the homeowners who employ illegals to cut their lawns and clean their houses!
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@Bob
Yup. Total traitors to america. Turn a blind eye when it saves you a nickel.
Yup. Total traitors to america. Turn a blind eye when it saves you a nickel.
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I've been to the Great Wall of China. Not just the touristy and renovated sections just north of Beijing, but the real untouched and remote sections.
They have 30 foot stone walls built at 45degree plus angles across mountain ranges. Across vast desserts. Using stone and manpower.
So when I hear people complain that we can't build a wall with excavators, prefab steel and concrete, I just laugh. Out of sadness. That many of us don't even have the will to protect American low skill workers from 25 Million illegal competitors who take their jobs and/or depress their wages.
Where there is a will there is a way. We just need to find it in our hearts to protect our own before protecting illegals.
They have 30 foot stone walls built at 45degree plus angles across mountain ranges. Across vast desserts. Using stone and manpower.
So when I hear people complain that we can't build a wall with excavators, prefab steel and concrete, I just laugh. Out of sadness. That many of us don't even have the will to protect American low skill workers from 25 Million illegal competitors who take their jobs and/or depress their wages.
Where there is a will there is a way. We just need to find it in our hearts to protect our own before protecting illegals.
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Jay
I also have seen the Great Wall, founded and built a Chinese engineering co as well, but to facts
1 25 million illegal workers? Try Pew Zinstitute 11million total illegals. Fact
2. Building a useless wall, as an employer of hundreds in the USA , many on h1b visas, the way to stop illegal hiring is to enforce employers management of employee legality. It will stop and manage itself once the employer is required to follow the law. Guarantee, make us, the employer follow the rules.
3. The cowboy show here is smugglers, not workers, drugs coming in. Please reread.
Bottom line
The way to protect jobs is to enforce hiring laws. The employer has to use e verify, easy peasy and accurate. Fake SS numbers caught.
A wall is not efficient or effective per dollar. By the way the Great Wall was a failure sir, a giant WOA war project.
25 million , liar liar alternat fact of course.
I also have seen the Great Wall, founded and built a Chinese engineering co as well, but to facts
1 25 million illegal workers? Try Pew Zinstitute 11million total illegals. Fact
2. Building a useless wall, as an employer of hundreds in the USA , many on h1b visas, the way to stop illegal hiring is to enforce employers management of employee legality. It will stop and manage itself once the employer is required to follow the law. Guarantee, make us, the employer follow the rules.
3. The cowboy show here is smugglers, not workers, drugs coming in. Please reread.
Bottom line
The way to protect jobs is to enforce hiring laws. The employer has to use e verify, easy peasy and accurate. Fake SS numbers caught.
A wall is not efficient or effective per dollar. By the way the Great Wall was a failure sir, a giant WOA war project.
25 million , liar liar alternat fact of course.
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Low skill American workers don't want the type of work illegals do here unless it's compensated at $25 - $30/hour, which is what is happening here in Colorado. I'm now stuck doing my own maintenace, I can't find any company with availabilty, and I just plain can't afford it. So the economy slows and everything gets inflated. Nobody wins.
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Again, arrest or fine anyone employing an illegal alien and the problem will be solved. This is all just a big, expensive show.
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A recent report indicated that most "illegal" immigrants are those who entered the country *legally* and overstayed their visas!
The biggest wall in the world on the Mexican border will do nothing about that problem!
Drones won't solve that problem, either!
Improving economic conditions "there" and "here" will reduce the population and drug flow.
If there weren't so much demand for drugs in the U.S., there wouldn't be so much drug smuggling!
The biggest wall in the world on the Mexican border will do nothing about that problem!
Drones won't solve that problem, either!
Improving economic conditions "there" and "here" will reduce the population and drug flow.
If there weren't so much demand for drugs in the U.S., there wouldn't be so much drug smuggling!
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This country was built with horsepower rand they obviously still have an important role.
The article briefly mentions training wild-caught mustangs. Too many are killed or left to languish in captivity by government agencies seeking to keep their population down. They could be rescued and put into this program for a tiny fraction of what a physical wall would cost. More effective, too.
Most NYT readers probably don't have any idea of the investment of time and skill needed to bring a wild horse to this point. Kudos to those trainers and BP agents.
The article briefly mentions training wild-caught mustangs. Too many are killed or left to languish in captivity by government agencies seeking to keep their population down. They could be rescued and put into this program for a tiny fraction of what a physical wall would cost. More effective, too.
Most NYT readers probably don't have any idea of the investment of time and skill needed to bring a wild horse to this point. Kudos to those trainers and BP agents.
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Here is a little more info on the mustangs' training. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/inmates-train-wild-horses-border-pat...
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Why are we even talking about a border wall for tens of billions of dollars, when we could be spending the same money and putting the same people to work on real infrastructure projects that would actually do some good, and return something on the investment?
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Ironically, a fair number of the Border Patrol and ICE agents are Hispanics. In our South West heat, a majority of the border fence construction workers will also be Hispanics, as well.
Here in the Sonoran desert, the fence cuts off the migratory routes of Jaguars and other wildlife and effectively divides the treaty and ancestral lands of the Tohono Odum tribe. There are costs. . .
Here in the Sonoran desert, the fence cuts off the migratory routes of Jaguars and other wildlife and effectively divides the treaty and ancestral lands of the Tohono Odum tribe. There are costs. . .
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Of course, everything in our country these days is viewed through a political lens and often evokes a knee-jerk reaction. This is just an article about people doing their important jobs using horses. The agents are using mustangs, which could easily have ended up in much worse circumstances. In addition, the mustangs are being trained by convicts whose lives and future are also being improved. This article is NOT about swat teams on riot control horses rounding up long term, peaceful, productive, law-abiding immigrants.
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Another story of the age-old partnership between humans and horses. But the writer is mistaken if he thinks that these Border Patrol agents' mounts were mustangs. Mustangs are specifically feral horses under the protection of BLM agents, regardless of whether the beasts can produce immigration documents.
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They were Mustangs. You should check out the Kansas Program. Pretty cool if you ask me as there are issues in the BLM on what to do with too many horses.
This is one good use.
https://www.doc.ks.gov/facilities/hcf/programs/horse
This is one good use.
https://www.doc.ks.gov/facilities/hcf/programs/horse
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Henry under the Wild Horse & Burro Act that was initiated in 1971 many thousands of mustangs have been gathered and adopted out. Probably about 50,000 are presently in short term and long term holding facilities administered by the BLM and they are in need of adopters. Agencies such as the US Border Patrol that utilize these mustangs is just one outlet for them that provides a good horse with a good job. Many thousands of others are participating in playdays, parades, ranch work, dressage, eventing, etc at the hands of private owners that have adopted. Here's a link with many other links that will give you a little insight into the broad scope of the program.
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https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/
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https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/
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Not true - many mustangs are adopted and retrained for all kinds of disciplines. Google border patrol mustangs and you will find lots of links to the various programs that retrain these horses.
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I worked less than a mile from "La Linea" near San Diego, California and saw many border crossers and BP agents. Foggy nights were a busy time for smugglers because the helos could not fly and the fog provided cover.
One night a Mercedes arrived, the doors and trunk opened and fifteen people crammed into the car and disappeared into the night.
One night a Mercedes arrived, the doors and trunk opened and fifteen people crammed into the car and disappeared into the night.
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Expensive and useless solutions to a problem that can be easily addressed with modern technology. No useless and expensive wall, no huge increase in border patrol numbers. Just get drones, they see everything.
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See, yes. Apprehend, no. If you look at its picture, you'll see that the aerostat blimp is a specific sort of drone, already in use.
Of course the wall proposal is absurd.
Of course the wall proposal is absurd.
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Someone still has to apprehend them!
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Drones might see everything, but they can't DO everything.
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All this money, all this manpower/horsepower, for what?? We continue to offer solutions for a non-problem. The immigration flow from Mexico is almost zero--in fact more Mexicans are going home. And about those lost jobs---again, another talking point myth---I doubt many rust belt workers are willing to cut lawns, pick crops, and make up beds in motels.
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The tens of thousands overdosing on drugs that come almost exclusively from Mexico via smugglers are also worth some concern
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Isn't it possible that undocumented workers are taken advantage of since there is no one they can complain to, and they must find work to survive? Wouldn't the exploitation result in very low wages and no benefits? Are American citizens to blame for not being victimized? Without illegal competition wages would rise and the jobs would be filled by legal workers.
Employers should face severe penalties for hiring illegal and 'off the books' workers. It is hurting all of us, especially citizens starting out.
Employers should face severe penalties for hiring illegal and 'off the books' workers. It is hurting all of us, especially citizens starting out.
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It's not a myth. Plenty of rust belt workers would cut lawns etc for a reasonable, working wage. The illegal immigrants do menial work for peanuts in dangerous conditions so that their kids, born on US soil, will grow up US citizens.
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