Immigration has been part and parcel of America since the county’s onset. In a way, immigration, both legal and illegal has been influential in how politics in the country and consequently how policies are determined. In recent years, however, the majority of Americans have started linking the country’s vices with undocumented migrants. Such notions have resulted in the greater majority advocating for sterner migration policies particularly right-wing politicians. In his campaign, President Trump articulated a lot of ruthless policies that he thought would result in the solution of the immigration problems that face America. The building of a wall along the US-Mexico border stood out among his ‘mythical’ plans, nonetheless, due to unprecedented challenges construction of such a wall would not be easy as initially thought (Lorén & Arrigo, 2015). The Trump Wall, if built, would be an expensive and ineffective deterrent to illegal immigration.
Illegal Immigration Statistics
As much as illegal immigration is subtle it is equally as complicated. For instance, a person who has outstayed his/her visa and an individual who entered the country illegally are both unlawful immigrants, however, people and ultimately politicians tend to ignore the former. Moreover, data of illegal aliens can only be realized with estimates hence it is not verifiable. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approximates that there were around 11.5 million undocumented immigrants as of 2012 (Baker and Rytina, 2013). Mexico, as expected, was the leading country of origin of undocumented aliens accounting for 6.7 million unauthorized immigrants (roughly 60% of the illegal alien population). El Salvador follows next with a mere 690,000 aliens in comparison to Mexico.
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Trump’ Proposal
Assuming that a permanent solution to curtail unlawful Mexico immigrants was established, the US would have solved 60% of its immigration issues. Judging from the data it becomes easier to align with President Trump’s ideologies regarding immigration. Trump estimated that it will cost America $12 to $14 billion dollars to build the wall which will be paid by Mexico. More recently, Trump and his administration their White House budget plan revealed his proposal on the wall. The proposal dictates a down payment of $2.6 billion dollars labeled as ‘tactical infrastructure’ for the construction of the wall alone. Furthermore, $314 million dollars will be used in the appointment of fresh Border Patrol agents whereas another $1.5 billion dollars will be used in the construction of new detention facilities for unlawful immigrants (Fandos, 2017).
Financial Implications of the Wall
From a glance, the Trump Wall could actually solve America’s Mexican immigration woes. This is due to the fact that unauthorized immigrants would have to undergo excruciating geographical difficulties so as to enter America. However, Warren and Kevin point out that the plan would be detrimental in almost every aspect aside from its intended purpose (2017). To begin with, the wall would be extremely expensive to build; much more than Trump estimated. From a financial angle, there are two comparisons to the intended Trump Wall; the Berlin Wall and the 670 miles of fencing on the US-Mexico border during the Bush administration. The Berlin wall cost about $25 million dollars to build in 1961 when adjusted for inflation the figure rises to around $200 million (Drew, 2017). The Berlin Wall was only 96 miles long which is really small when compared to the projected Trump Wall that will cover roughly 2000 miles.
On the other hand, the 670-mile fence on the US-Mexico border cost around $2.4 billion for only a third of what the Trump Wall intends to cover. According to Andreas, in areas where the fence was relatively higher it the fence cost as much as $3.9 million dollars a mile (2012). What’s more, Drew dictates that maintenance of the wall could cost $750 million dollars annually (2017). Taking into account other factors such as the acquisition of private land, the building of infrastructure to facilitate the construction and payment of workers the total expenditure could be very dear and economically redundant. From an environmental perspective not very much can be said but it is prudent to assume that laying 19 million tons of concrete across 2000 miles will not do the environment any good whatsoever.
Alternative Solutions to Immigration
On the contrary, immigration has its benefits of which many Americans tend to overlook. For example, undocumented aliens take up low income and labor demanding jobs particularly those from Mexico which majority of citizens tend to belittle and subsequently avoid. This is not to say that illegal immigration should be less restricted but to suggest that immigrants may add positive value to the US. The Trump Wall’s cost could be well over $20 billion dollars if estimates are right. The wall would be the most expensive way to solve such a subtle problem. Instead, the funds could be used in other avenues which would not only make immigration reform easier but maintain America’s immigration haven reputation.
The money could be used in enforcing the immigration policy but from an individual perspective. Loren and Arigo suggest that instead of castigating large groups of people the DHS should attempt to apprehend individuals. This would be implying a more tactical approach to restricting unlawful immigrants (2015). Moreover, the US is far less densely populated than other developed nations. Hence, these funds should be used in identifying a vigorous yet non-discriminative approach of legalizing aliens. For instance, the US should look into immigrants who in the long run will be beneficial to both the economy and the society. In the case where an illegal immigrant has resided in America long enough without being involved in a crime, a naturalization process should be considered so as to grant them citizenship.
Conclusion
The Trump Wall is no more than a white elephant solution to unlawful immigration problems. It would cost a hefty sum for both its construction and maintenance while also deeply affecting the environment. And in the slightest possibility that the wall was actually to work it would only hinder immigrants from one group i.e. Latin Americans. These among many other factors make the wall not only feasible but point to a lack of complexity in solving such a colossal predicament. Thereby, the Trump Wall is not needed and should be treated as nothing more than a fantasy.
References
Andreas, P. (2012). Border games: Policing the US-Mexico divide . Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Baker, B., & Rytina, N. (2017, January 3). Estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Unauthorized%20Immigrant%20Population%20Estimates%20in%20the%20US%20January%202012_0.pdf
Drew, K. (2017). This Is What Trump's Border Wall Could Cost . Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/09/this-is-what-trumps-border-wall-could-cost-us.html
Fandos, N. (2017). Trump’s Border Wall Gets Billions in Budget Proposal. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/politics/donald-trump-border-wall-budget.html?_r=0
Lorén Trull, S., & Arrigo, B. A. (2015). US Immigration Policy and the 21st Century Conundrum of “Child Saving”: A Human Rights, Law and Social Science, Political, Economic, and Philosophical Inquiry. In Studies in Law, Politics, and Society (pp. 179-225). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Warren, R., & Kerwin, D. (2017). The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose: Since 2007 Visa Overstays have Outnumbered Undocumented Border Crossers by a Half Million. Journal on Migration and Human Security , 5 (1), 124-178.
