I'm particularly interested in the short portion of this article that says the California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, is filing suit, claiming that Trump's wall violates environmental laws. Can the reach of this suit be extended beyond California?
In Texas, for example, Trump's wall threatens migratory animals and the famous Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (don't count on Interior Secretary Zinke to defend the Refuge!). Perhaps Mr. Becerra's lawsuit canbe extended to the Santa Ana Refuge ansd other threatened places outside California?
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Ugly. Ugly. Ugly like Trumpistan. Why anybody wants to go to the most racist nation on earth, is beyond me.
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I mean, I think the wall had something to do with the massive decrease in illegal immigration in that area.
The best solution to illegal immigration requires no wall. Mandatory e-verify should be the law of the land.
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A large percentage of illegal immigrants enter the U.S. from Mexico in tractor trailers. It is impossible for the border patrol to unload thousands of pallets of goods from thousands of trucks to look for people who may be hiding near the front of the trailer.
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30 ft, hunh? Give me a 32 ft ladder. Just go to "Tools and Home Improvement" on Amazon.
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Lots of bravado.
Not much thought.
The nice paved road on to the left side of the fence in the first photo is on the southern side of the fence. (The photo caption says it is looking west. Looking west means south is on the left -- elementary.)
Likewise the tall poles with observation cameras and lights and sensors on top --
also on the left side of the photo, on the southern side of the fence.
That road and the poles and observation apparati are on U.S.. Territory.
The vehicles on the road are U.S. Border Patrol vehicles,
in U.S. territory,
between Mexican territory and the fence.
How so?
The fence is not exactly on top of the border.
It is set back several dozen feet to the north of the actual border.
The cameras can easily spot -- day and night -- any would-be fence jumpers approaching the fence,
-- with our without 32-foot ladders --
long before they even get to the fence.
The road on the right (northern side) of the fence is also U.S. territory,
also patrolled by BP vehicles.
Those BP vehicles on both sides -- and the BP staff monitoring the observation cameras -- can easily communicate with each other.
Even If the BP does not get to you and your ladder before you get to the fence,
(and climb up it lugging a wire cutter and laboriously cut the razor wire at the top),
the BP will be waiting for you when you jump down on the northern side.
Are you ready to jump down the 10 or 15 feet?
And survive in condition to run?
Buena suerte!
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See a first hand report here from a border patrol agent here:
http://www.bpunion.org/newsroom/special-reports/1771-cabrera-testimony-h...
and
https://news.vice.com/story/the-us-already-has-a-border-wall-and-its-bas...
The former speech writer for Obama on CBC radio today who said that the legacy of Obama is forging the potential of people of all origins, all orientations, all backgrounds. Not his policies. The idea of 'Yes we can'. He, not only as an exemplar, but a story narrated not in the archaic 'American' story of white picket fence, high school QB, summer vacation by the lake, walking the narrow pathway to prominence like previous White Americans.
I realized his is the vision, through multiculturalism, of Canada. After its inception in 1982, multiculturalism in the 1980s was not just a litany of federal TV ads and policy papers. I felt it and saw it in the changing society that world now knows of as Canada. Canada was actually quite embedded in restrictive immigration policies which was also coupled with a Euro-centric society. This really started to change in the 1970s, then catalyzed through the 1980s. Schools, communities, friends, politicians, media, all began to sincerely speak about the joys of knowing and experiencing different cultures. As a kid, I felt I was not only to learn the European Canadian culture, but was invited to promote, to speak out about my own culture. The most influential were my teachers. They really embodied the change, which retrospectively, shaped my vision of an equal society.
So the wall. The more we build, the less human and more archaic we remain. For some, it is the only world they know. For Canada, we have moved on.
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So, open borders, is it?
In the name of "multiculturalism" and "one-world humanity".
No limits?
Just let in as many of the world's billions who want to come.
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The wall helps to keep out the bad hombres. The rule of law is non-existent in Mexico.
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I should have deleted the lines at the bottom of my last comment.
If you include it on this blog please delete those lines.
Since Democrats love big government, they should be thrilled with the federal government's border wall between San Diego and Tijuana - it has been a tremendous success, dramatically reducing illegal immigration and enhancing the quality of life for residents of California towns along the border with Mexico.
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As the Times (and other media) has pointed out, a border wall means seizing an immense number of private property acreage under eminent domain; e.g., condemnation - especially in Texas. Wonder how TX property owners are going to feel about that?
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It seems to me like we have been focusing mostly or only on the wall.
What would it take to bring Mexico to a level of economic performance equivalent to Canada?
What are we doing to lower the demand for illicit drugs in the US?
When will we fix our immigration system?
The wall is a relatively ineffective patch and does very little to address these much greater issues.
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When I look at the wall, I have begun to wonder if the long term plan is not to keep others out, but to keep us in.
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Considering what the wall costs and will cost, the US could simply hand immigrants money on the condition they go back south. And that would be cheaper.
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I hope the prototypes have egress points that are designed for two way traffic so Americans can get to their manufacturing jobs .
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Why have we heard nothing about the endangered wild animals that roam the area and use both southern US and northern Mexico as their home range? We should be protecting the native animals in the area. Many are endangered. Sierra Club and other animal protectors, where are you on this problem?
You cannot build a wall that will keep everyone out or in.
If Trump really wants to keep people (not just Mexicans, but Asians too) from coming to the US without proper immigration documents, a more workable solution would be an electronic system.
2
The GOP has made immigration at our Southern border an issue for years, and Trump is their latest sloppy messenger. Most Democrats have no argument with secure borders and sensible enforcement if it is part of a comprehensive and realistic immigration plan. One of the most disturbing elements of this is that Trump - and his GOP comrades before and continuing - have used Mexicans as scapegoats and have pandered to the bigotry and fears of his base. It is reasonable to suspect that Trump cares little about the issue other than as a successful rally cry. If they are successful at replicating the San Diego model for the entire length of the border, and they block nearly all "illegal" border crossings, they will have bragging rights. On the other hand, they will lose their most visceral appeal to vengeful bigotry. Maybe then, the GOP can return to making Blacks and Gays their top targets.
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DLNYC, it seems to me that Democrats think that comprehensive and realistic immigration reform means let everyone in. Is there anything you are willing to compromise on? Limiting DACA to people who were brought here under the age of 12, not teens who snuck in the border and say they were 15 (and we have no proof)? Stop chain immigration -- don't let the DACA people sponsor their parents? Reduce H-1Bs (most are no really high skilled)? Stop earned income credits for DACA recipients? refundable EITC is just welfare.
4
This is a most disputable and despicable act of just asking for bad relations with our neighbors. Oh yes, shoot the person so desperate to escape his life where ever he is coming from but let all the drug runners just come on in because they are able to afford the means to do so. Yea, yea, once in awhile the government arrests someone and calls it a big bust but addicts keep multiplying. I wonder why that is?
I am ashamed for us.
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So we spend billions of dollars putting a wall up and in some places a wall can't be constructed because of topography - and across our northern border what do we have? NOTHING. Guess we just know there are no bad guys trying to enter America thru Canada, eh? OR how about both coast lines - no problems there with illegals entering, huh? Ridiculous. Who's Trump going to hire to clean his toilets at Mar A Lago now?
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Building a wall will not stop people from coming here legally
They can still come here if they are checked by customs at the border.
3
Want to fix the illicit drug problem? The answer is very simple. Either legalize it and tax it like we had to do to alcohol following prohibition or take out the demand side of the curve, the only real problem side. If the demand went to zero the illicit trade would also but if you continue to fight the supply side you are not only dumb but will always lose.
23
Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy everyone who wanted to sneak across the border a nice condo there along with an annual lifetime stipend?
4
Ha! It may well be money better spent.
With the devastation of Texas and Florida, we should be building high speed trains to bring Mexican workers to the US.
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Or flying them to Puerto Rico. They already speak the language and there is much hurricane recovery work s-t-i-l-l to be done. Mexican and Central American workers are a needed but ignored resource throughout our country and territories.
4
The walls described in this article when designed did mot have the advantage of the technology we have now.
I believe with the technology we have now a wall plus other devises will be more effective than the walls that were not originally designed that way.
I believe a system can be built using more than one wall and electronic devises that will stop people from coming to this country.
Israel has done it why can't we.
5
Why can't we? Because our business community doesn't want to.
6
The wall represents, more than anything else, our own inadequacies and insecurities, a scapegoat of sorts blaming others for our problems. Insofar narcotraffic is concerned, it will continue to prosper and knock at our doors (bypassing the wall) as long as we 'decide' to remain addicted to it, an escape to our chronic unrelieved stress. It's a demand-supply issue, a deadly one, if there ever was one.
15
Reading the article it appears the wall was very effective. While we'd all like to have no insecurities and inadequacies, these things are a part of human nature, just like wanting to protect what we have. The day people like you make an effort to understand this and do away with the temptation to be sanctimonious and dismissive, is the day when things will start going your way.
4
I think a wall is expensive and not very effective. We should not build more walls. We need the money for other, more important things. What we need to do is encourage the economies in Mexico and Central America ( for example expand NAFTA to make it easier for trade between the USA and Mexico/Central America) and create programs to reduce drug demand in the US.
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I would rather have our tax money going towards the Wall than towards endless war. The wall could preserve our national borders so that our social welfare system isn't flooded and broken by non-citizens who have no straightforward method or incentive to pay into it. When we are able to actually authorize who is here and under what status, then we can have the proper debates about who to let in.
8
First, if you haven't noticed, even when you have a wall across the entire border, you can still tunnel under it, go over it (planes) or go around it (boat). Second, the non-citizens don't get welfare, but if you would like them to pay into the system then REGISTER them, have them pay taxes. This is not amnesty, they are not citizens, and your concerns will be handled at lower expense and additional revenue. Perfect!
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You mention something that I have not seen before.
Liberals are against the wall so they will tell you why not to build it.
They will tell you what it will cost too much or won't work.
They ignore the other side.
There are reasons to build a wall.
They tell you what it will cost to construct but ignore that money will be saved as well.
Money spent on social services you refer to and the police who are needed to keep us safe from some who do sell drugs here,
I am not anti emigration or even stopping Mexicans from coming here to visit.
I believe no matter why they come it has to be at a border crossing where they can be searched and be made to show some form of identification.
We have that at airports.
I was asked for my ID when I took the Acela from Washington to New York.
I am not being racist and do not like it when people say I am.
.
If you listen to them then you will not know that They don not mention
they do not tell you nwhat it will cost you to build.
2
Building several prototypes will give Trump the opportunity to show who will pay for the wall. If Trump can't get Mexico to pay for the prototypes, then we can stop any further building plans.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to just pay them to stay home?
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Don't see the point here. A wall 20 miles long leaves a lot of alternatives open. Trump's mega-wall would supposedly close all the gaps. I think Trump is out of what little mind he has, that a border wall is a dreadful idea. I just don't see where this article sheds much light on what Trump is proposing.
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