will the fence to keep illegal alien out really work? sound like the berlin wall of germany!?
148496
Nothing is fool proof but if it would cut the drug and human smuggling down it would be worth it.  The way to do it is have two walls a mile apart.  In the no man's land set up landmines, you will totally stop all contraband entering this country.\n\nThe Berlin Wall was put up to keep people in, not people out.  The wall on the border would be along the same lines of the Intentions of the Great Wall of China or Hadian's Wall in Great Britan.
197788
Simple, the Berlin wall was to keep people IN. This wall is to keep people OUT. Notice that the Great Wall of China was built for such a purpose and it dramatically increased Chinese security for hundreds of years. \n\nThe Latin American immigration crisis must include these items...\n\n1) A wall to prevent further immigration\n2) A guest worker program for those who are here\n3) New national id cards holding electronically encrypted information that must be reconciled against a national database.\n4) Fines or prison time for anyone who employs illegal aliens without proper validation of their identification against new parameters.\n5) Reform of judicial system to handle immigration cases more efficiently. An immigration court would be nice...\n6) And structured control of new applicants for the guest worker program so that we get to choose who enters. My votes says that we only favor countries who have signed free trade agreements with the U.S. That way we can favor the Latin American countries who are under NAFTA and CAFTA and we can restrict applicants from countries where the bulk of the population would rather just kill us and take everything we have. The Hispanics are seen as GREAT workers and would be quite welcome if they were legal. \n\nBut those who come from cultures where women are oppressed, where people cannot individually choose their religion, opposition to the basic free market principles that made our country wealthy and safe, and believe that violence against our citizens is a cherished avenue to achieving their own political ends are NOT welcome. And those people will try to come just as they went to Europe. They didn't assimilate there and they won't assimilate here. But, the Latin Americans are much safer and are generally not trying to kill us.
621303
No.  \n\nYou know, couldn't we monitor this with a satellite that's tuned into the the temperature of humans?  Humans are pretty much always 98.6, and if they're not, then they won't get far.\n\nAnd as for the fence, it is supposed to be fancy.  It will be like three walls, one of which is going to be concrete and about 13 feet high, from what I've heard.  It may not stop them but it will sure slow them down.  The trick is putting it in the right places.\n\nAs as for landmines, this is out of the question.  But what about landmines that only broadcast that they've been stepped on, and the weight that was exerted on them (so we can tell the difference between a rabbit and a human)?\n\nAlso, regarding those citizens that want to get involved, we should all independently investigate companies to look for those that employ illegals.  This should seriously increase enforcement.
568509
We tried that once....let me explain.\n\nOperation Gatekeeper......a 14 mile wall built to reduce the flow of those seeking a better way of life.\n\nWhat happened....the deadliest year EVER for HUMANS seeking that better way of life.\n\nNOW.....it is a monument to failure....WHY....because the arrest rate in AZ tripled when they found a safer way to cross.\n\nObviously this is not working...got anything else?
871023
Build the fence. Stop the illegal immigration.
525222
Pros:  America is finally making an effort to keep illegal aliens from entering through our Southern border. \n\nCons: The wall won't be enough. We need military there with authority to detain illegals for the Border Patrol and to confiscate any contraband.
721432
Guys...the way this is being described (even in this forum) reminds me of Nazi Germany. Language like "round 'em up". We have to find a safe way for people to extend their visas, get visas and travel between the border if they want to. As someone mentioned, border jumping is scary. And it is not like these are bad or immoral people. They just want to work--build a life for themselves and their familiy at any cost. That is very American if you ask me. Very nobel. Lets do this the right way. If an employer hires an illegal worker we need to really hit them hard. People wouldn't come and stay if they couldn't support themselves. Lets target the places of employment.
487628
If it goes through, I just don't think the rules will be enforced.  \n\nWhy should we think that the illegals will step forward and get this national i.d. card and pay fines and taxes?  They have not respected our laws thus far, so I don't see why they would start now.  \n\nOh, and how can the illegals prove if they have been here illegally for 2, 5, 10 years or whatever.  It's ridiculous!\n\nAs far as border security, I think it's a Band-Aid.\n\nI have been a Bush supporter forever...but here is where we part ways.
484219
Well, no... but to be honest the Republicans aren't spending the money to build a large wall to keep Mexicans out because they really believe it will do any good.\n\nThey are making a large fuss and show out of doing it because illegal immigration is a major concern for many Americans, and by taking a symbolic stand against it, however foolish, futile, or useless it may be, they hope to resonate with voters and re-capture a rapidly disintegrating base on an issue they might still be seen as not having completely and utterly screwed up.\n\nRepublicans, and indeed, politicians in general don't do more than they have to secure ports of call because in a country the size of America it's unrealistic to think you can.  There are too many ships, too many people, and far too many packages to do any more than just random inspections or investigate openly suspicious activity.\n\nCan things be smuggled into our country through our ports?  You betcha.  Can they be smuggled in through our borders?  Yup.\n\nCould we bust our butts trying to secure them?  Sure we could.  We could do a halfway decent job at the authorized checkpoints, too... but then it would dawn on a terrorist with money that there are a lot of private docks and moorages in this country, especially for the wealthy who live along the coast.  \n\nIf you have one wealthy individual with his own yacht and a moorage at his estate, all they have to do is sail it out into international waters (which isn't hard since that's ten miles out from our coast... or about an hour's leisurely cruise, and those are very common in yachts), pick up what you want to smuggle in, and sail right back to their estate.  Chances are even if the Coast Guard is on patrol, they won't be caught.  You could also do it with smaller boats dispatched from ships sailing in international waters which land at a pre-arranged stretch of coastline that no one uses, etc... etc... etc...\n\nThis, unfortunately, is a game of cat and mouse where the mouse has a definite advantage.  For everything we can think of to stop an attack, someone else can think of another way to start one.
935004
Bravo Patriot... I have noticed this (particularly "defender of the hated") here and in almost all forums.\n\nDid you see the CNN town meeting on "Broken Borders"... the woman defending illegals wouldn't answer a question... she merely ran on in her prepared manifesto covering the standard points: the border crossed us, it's our land, your economy can't survive without our work... blah blah blah.\n\nI'm a Californian, and honestly have had no KNOWN contact with ILLEGAL immigrants of OTHER than Hispanic origin.  My Indian, Fijian, and Russian co-workers all have work-visa's (I'm their supervisor and have to know).  My comments are based on first-hand observation.\n\nYet while in the Navy I lived right on the border in San Ysidro... watched lllegal crossings night and day.  I couldn't report them... HONEST !!  My reports were REQUIRED to be ignored by INS /Border Patrol because my reporting would violate the illegals' rights due to "posse comitatus".\n\nI pay my high California taxes, and while in San Ysidro, my daughter had to go to a school 5 miles away because the school NEXT DOOR was reserved for ESL students !!  An investigation in 1992 found that 85% of those students had PO boxes or false addresses... and further investigation found that those students crossed the border back to mexico each day. On falsely obtained student ID !!\n\n230 students... and at the time, the State said it cost $30,000 per student per year... So that's 6.9 MILLION stolen from the tax-payers from ONE school.
968469
NO.\n\nAmnesty does nothing but encourage more people currently in Mexico to come to America.  It sends the message that it's ok if you're "illegal" infact we won't even call you illegal... we'll call you "undocumented" just so we won't hurt your feelings!\n\nWhen almost all Americans agree that we should secure the border by among other things building & improving upon the fence why is it that our politicians in Washington can't seem to get it through their heads?
802807
I agree.  If people in this country would only open up their eyes, and their cold hearts and realize what the truth about this situation is, they may be surprised.  This country just passed a law to build up a wall between America and Mexico, yet we are the same ones who preached to bring down the old wall between West and East Berlin.  The fear then was that poor people would flood in and take jobs from the people in West Berlin, but did that happen?  I suppose not, seeing as how that wall has stayed down.  People don't seem to care that many of these people really do come here for a better life.  These are people with children and loved ones here, just like everyone else, yet those children get looked away from because their daddy, or mommy, or both, are here "illegally".  How can it be illegal to do what you have to to make a good life for your family, to feed your children, and give them a good future...?  Why is it that 10 or 15 years ago there were just as many illegal immigrants here, and yet no one seemed to care until now?  Just about 20 years ago, the President of our country, then President Reagan, in a famous speech, told the leader of the communist world " Tear down that wall".  Won't it be a little bit embarrasing when the leader from another country tells us, the land of the free, to tear down our wall???
111898
Fences on the border.
900862
Well in that respect, you could just about say that every military installation is effectively defended.......there aren't that many stories out there about people trying to sneak on and being successful.    And they do use cameras to help, and I with my own eyes have seen motion detectors being used.......\nWe all know the military has the best technology,  why they refuse to implement Any technology is a clear sign that our gov. doesn't want to stop illegal immigration.  \nAnd them saying a fence won't work, is partly true.....  if they plan on just putting a chain link up...well yea that won't work.  They need to use technology on our border.  And a fence/wall that is not just one little fence.   Layers, razor wires ,concrete, steel.....and they better make sure they take the fence at least 10 ft. underground.
999519
That is disappointing, to say the least.  Disgusting, actually.  I am thinking the so-called new energy into "enforcement" of the immigration laws are just lip service to pacify the American citizens who want to think the borders are being sealed and the government is actually doing it's very best to prevent illegal immigration.  I think whoever was the person in Immigration who told the sheriff to let them go should be forced to answer for this and he should lose his job to someone who will do the job he is being paid to do!
978047
I was on a forum a little while ago and a guy on there had a pretty decent plan.  So I will pass it on.  First . Close the borders for good.  ( I don't think that is possible)  2.   All illegals in the penal system would be deported immediately. ( that is an excellent idea)  3.  All undocumented workers would have 6 months to study and get their citizenships, or get deported as well. ( ah, i am still not sure absorbing all of them would be good for the country, but I think it's good mid ground).  4, after the 6 months any company still employing Illegals get fined 100,000 a day. (Love that).
1100045
I don't know about the Border Patrol, however, I am dead certain that big business and Bush want to leave a 'hole in the fence'.  That is why they keep pooh-pooh ing barriers at the border.  Those would remain even when public attention is elsewhere, whereas staffing could drop easily over time.