I, for one, have heard enough about building a border wall between the United States and Mexico to last me a lifetime. Just when the issue seems to be put on the back burner or labeled as a frivolous, unrealistic campaign promise, it pops back up again and starts to resurface in everyday conversation. Because of this, I think it’s fair to assess why exactly this wall has any significance at all and why it is such a recurring topic.
First of all, where did the idea of a wall come from? Also, why is it that a wall would mean anything to anyone? Wouldn’t we still have a lot of issues with illegal immigration?
Or you could be looking at this article and rolling your eyes. Lots of other countries have borders separating themselves between them and the countries next to each other. Why is this an issue for people? Who decided that this was controversial?
Let’s start at the beginning: right before the the Trump 2016 campaign. As Trump announced he was running for the 45th presidential seat, the world laughed and encouraged him in the name of a joke. Eventually, this joke turned into reality. And he was the GOP nomination on behalf of the Republican Party. As illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States has become an ongoing press story, Trump addressed this by promising to build a wall that separates the United States from Mexico and then make Mexico pay for it. How you force another country to pay for something you build, I don’t know, but this was the claim that reverberated throughout constituent ears as well as critics. Amidst other serious issues that have odd solutions from the White House such as climate change or free trade, this one seems to take a spotlight in a lot of brains.
The issue of illegal immigration is a big one, but also is one that, like others, is blown out of proportion. As the media does have a tendency to over exaggerate or make things seem worse than they are, it’s understandable as to where the hysteria comes from. A wall is supposed to be physical border to help contain illegal border crossing or even a sign of power. There are other countries that actually do have physical borders from each other.
There’s a few problems with using the argument that other countries have borders. Many of these people who are in favor of a wall are also strong proponents of America being the best country in the world and that it is the country to set the example for everyone else. If that is true, why would we do something that other countries have been doing for so long? If we are, in a sense, the police of the world and trying to set the right example for a successful nation, why is that the one solution that many people are set upon? Not to mention, companies like Cards Against Humanity have bought chunks of land near the border in order to complicate the process further.
Also, despite previously saying that Mexico would pay for it, there is now money set aside in the federal proposed budget for this wall. I suppose forcing someone to pay for something that they had nothing to do with doesn’t actually work.
A wall could be not only a physical barrier, but could also feel like a victory for containing illegal immigration. Sure, that one does seem logical. However, like many issues, if someone is that determined to get across the border, especially in a flight from the law or other trouble that would make that person a refugee, it is still going to happen. The likelihood of eradicating illegal immigration altogether is pretty much impossible.
Still, through all of this, it may seem like a better solution to build the wall and contain illegal immigration than to do nothing at all. Which could lead me to back to a previous point: if we revert to that and spend money in the budget to fulfill this campaign promise, why is it that we could not make more reforms happen that other countries have pursued, such as in the areas of health care or education? It may give our economy a different face in some areas, but so will this wall. It may change the way we think of basic concepts, but so will this wall. It may seem as if we are taking ideas from other people and adapting them to our own, but so is this wall. There cannot exist an instance where it is okay to choose one idea other countries have, but another idea would make us followers if we decided to go with that. Is it okay or not okay to do something another country has set forth as an example when you are supposed to be the leader?
Know that I don’t mean to shout an opinion at you, but consider the latter and effects in the long run of what exactly this wall means. It has more implications than just containing an immigration issue that will exist anyway. And since it will still exist, that could point for politicians and media to say that this fuss did absolutely nothing.
