Honestly, I didn't think you felt that way, I took you for an open borders supporter.... I don't think I ever asked, and just assumed based on some of your other views. I apologize for that, I really shouldn't have assumed.
One thing, I don't think we can do much better with what we have now... congress won't do a thing, won't authorize more money to help. We don't have the money for more agents, if we even have the applicants. I don't know how that works, tbh. But in any case, we simply don't have the manpower, the money, the supplies, or the space to do what we really NEED to do right now. So, can we tell them the border is shut, we can't take any more??? That really doesn't work... and we can't leave them in the desert, nor can we just let them go off to the wild blue yonder. I don't know what to do for the "right now" except to get on Congress' ass to get something done.
I always took that "Mexico will pay for it" as new trade deals, or tariffs, not that Mexico would roll over and cut us a check for a wall. And I don't care if it is a wall, a moat, an electric fence, or what... but we definitely need something! I'm not as certain as you that a 40' wall would not work at all... I just don't know if it would or not, but I'm ready to try anything at this point.
ReadingRainbow wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 8:39 pm
The main problems I had with building a 40 ft wall is that I didn’t think it would help much ( I mean, they sell 50ft ladders at Walmart) and I think it was way too much money to spend on something that wasn’t going to work... plus the whole “ we’ll get Mexico to pay for it” line was just causing a fight between nations that was not going to be helpful to anyone.
I do think there should be border security and I do think we need to vet everyone coming over and make sure there are no dangerous criminals getting in, but I don’t think we’re going about it in a right or moral way right now.
29again wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 8:28 pm
That "new and improved" technology is now 25+ years old. But, yes, they tried. As far as I understood things from then, there was supposed to be some kind of barrier, possibly a fence, all along the border. I'm pretty sure it was in a bill, but the funding was just somehow never there in the dem-run Houses we had.
I really would like to have a barrier, more than just a fence, though, along the border. I just believe it is necessary to delineate somehow the line between two sovereign countries. Either that, or armed guards every 20 feet or so.... Or maybe moats and alligators along the border for the parts that a fence/barrier won't do??? (sarc.) I'm not pretending to have all the answers, but I also don't believe this is a problem that just came up in the past 24 months. I think it is a fluid kind of thing -- crossings are up in this area, but down over there because of X, then up over there and down over that way... always changing depending on what tech is where, how many agents in an area, etc. Whatever the answer may be, we have to try to stop the millions of illegal crossings. As you are well aware, we don't have the necessary space, supplies, or manpower to effectively deal with the ones we have now.... I am glad that Trump got Mexico on board to help stop some of the migration northwards... that should be a huge help!! (Way past due, but still glad to have it now!)
ReadingRainbow wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 7:09 pm
On the border patrols website it says :
The 1980s and 1990s saw a tremendous increase of illegal migration to America. The Border Patrol responded with increases in manpower and the implementation of modern technology. Infrared night-vision scopes, seismic sensors, and a modern computer processing system helped the Patrol locate, apprehend, and process those crossing into the U.S. illegally.
In an effort to bring a level of control to the border, Operation "Hold the Line" was established in 1993 in El Paso, and proved an immediate success. Agents and technology were concentrated in specific areas, providing a "show of force" to potential illegal border crossers. The drastic reduction in apprehensions prompted the Border Patrol to undertake a full-scale effort in San Diego, California, which accounted for more than half of illegal entries. Operation "Gatekeeper" was implemented in 1994, and reduced illegal entries in San Diego by more than 75% over the next few years.
So it seems like border security has increased since then. What would you have liked to see done that would increase security?