Why is it such a complicated issue to have secure borders and keep 500,000 Mexicans from crossing annually?
603441
It is not that simple, I think the way to go about keeping the illegals from coming here is to jail the people that hire them. Make them pay such a fine that is no longer worth it to pay substandard wage and Americans will fill those jobs in a heartbeat.
392242
It is not easy to get into this country legally, but most things worth doing are not easy.  As you said no other country, including Mexico, allows free and undeterred migration to their country so why should the USA.  The USA is a major terrorist target and we must KNOW who is coming into our country to protect our people and property from attack. It is about the greater good.  We could open our boarders and allow any and all who want to cross to come in but then how safe would they be after the bombings, gassing and killings started.
557291
It is a new time....America has always been protected by oceans on both sides. Although there is rampant corruption and pathetic government structure to our south , Mexico has mostly been nothing more than a nuisance for it's drug trade. Canadians and Americans have had very close ties aside from an occasional policy difference. today...I think there should be greater border patrols on our north and south borders. With terrorism and it's networks pressing the envelope in finding new ways to destroy us we have no alternative but to increase our security to meet the new dangers.
903714
Contrary to what Tylerwifee contains in that pea brain head of hers, I, Mexican by birth and first generation in this great country, am going to answer your question.\n\nA; Yes, the borders should be enforced, The security of the nation is at risk. No long ago, two Egyptians were trying to enter the country from Mexico, with Mexican documents, but didn't speak any Spanish. If they can, Terrorist can.\nB; The northern border should be on watch just the same way, though I don't know the immigration laws of Canada, and how hard it is to enter their country.\nC; Yes, The US as a Nation has the right to claim the sovereignty of their land, and obedience to the laws shall be observed. Even when this means no more Illegals entering the country.\nD; No, I don't think there is hypocrisy, the complaints are based on real statistics about our social structure, though some may exagerate it, the cost that illegals create is high, even higher than the unclaimed paid Taxes.\nE; This question I don't understand, what does crossing the border entitles anyone to? I you mean to cross it freely, then yes.\nF; No, they are trying to find a solution to the problem, I may be ingenuous, but I believe in the US government.
1025369
Mainly because of all the additional variables involved in global logistics. Whenever you transport something over a border you have to consider the legal, political and social environment of the country involved. \n\nAlso, because of the distances involved tracking and control becomes more difficult. For example, ships can run into delays because of bad weather.
489552
Its already getting across the Borders into our Country. The gangs and roving band of thugs that have freedom to roam and rampage are coming across when ever they want. They run drugs, people and what ever contraband they want. The Border Patrol is a joke, because there is NEVER enough people to police the border. A few hundred people for 4000 miles of border? LETS GET REAL!  One person for a hundred miles of border aint gonna cut it.  Cameras and sensors record them coming over, but, it doesnt matter, they do what they want.\n\nImmagration is a joke, and the joke is making us look bad. \nUntil the Government takes an active stand, (and they wont, because they know which way the wind blows for votes), we will be a free border with a few sent back for the Media.\n\nJesse
299372
They shouldn't.This country is not overcrowded.Even if the whole country of Mexico came over they would still be a minority.This country needs them.Ppl are scared because this country and countries all over the world are changing.There is nothing anyone can do about it.Sorry guys.
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.
387328
It has nothing too do with race, SOME people want it too be so that they can blame race.\n\nMexicans are not the only people comming over the border, but it you make it about that then you look like a bad person.\n\n1+1=2 it's that easy.
274877
In 2004 10,000 federal agents (CBP) working on the border apprehended 1.1 million people attempting to cross the border.\n\nHave you ever been to the border between the US and Mexico?  It is very long (over 2000 miles) and extremely in hospitable. I know because I was stationed in a recon unit to watch a portion of it.  Even if a fence is built, there is no way to watch the fence all the time, and any fence can be breached.  Do the math....to adequately watch the border with real time guards (that is someone who can respond to an immediate breach) you would need a guard tower every 1/4 mile (depending on terrain).  That is 8000 guard towers.  To staff that 24 hours/365, with two agents, you would need 64,000 agents, plus another large group to actually round up the illegals, process them, and detain them.  Although some might like to, we can't shoot them or abuse them, so this is expensive.  \n\nBy my rapid calculations, we would need about 100,000 more law enforcement personnel (at a cost of 8 billion dollars per year, not counting facilities).  We would also have to build a more user-friendly infrastructure along the border, which, by the way has lots of private land along it.  Yes, we could uset he military to staff these towers, but wait, by the constitution we can't have active duty military or reserve make arrests (posse comitatus).  Yes, they can watch and radio (like we did in the Sonoran Desert years ago), but then you end up with nasty situations like the Marine who shot and killed a Mexican boy who had strayed over the border with some sheep.\n\nPart of the problem is that while people whine about this, they love to get cheap labor.  Many businesses and private families intentionally employ illegal aliens because they save money.  The pressure that special interest groups representing certain of these folks is certain to make it difficult to stop the supply.  Congress is about the consider a new bill to have guest workers, like in Germany with the Turks.  After all, you don't really want a job as a fruit picker, do you, or as an office cleaner...got to leave those for the migrant workers!
383741
Americans don't only focus on Mexicans on the issue of immigration, which is what I'm assuming you're asking about.  Part of this issue are the unprotected borders between Mexico and the U.S., and if you recall, it has been per posed that a wall be built to help protect these areas.  There are many reasons for this, on of the most important is to stop illegal immigrants from passing, Mexican and otherwise.  It is very possible that people associated with Al Quaida and many other terrorist groups could enter Mexico and then the United States undetected by anyone.  What has been per posed by Bush and many others is that along with protection of our borders, there is a need for a worker program so that foreign people working in this country can be monitored, not prevented from entering.  I don't think that anyone denies that Mexicans and many others from foreign countries are a vital part of our workforce here in the U.S., but because of recent events, the United States must boost security along it's borders, ie, Mexico and Canada.  I think that the a majority of media attention is focused on Mexicans because there are so many people (of all nationalities) that come into the U.S. via the Mexican border.
543639
I want our laws enforced and our borders secured. It is not about Mexicans. It is about our joke of a border being wide open for ANY person to cross.\n\nIt is not about fear. It is about anger! We citizens can no longer afford this mass illegal exodous to our country. We have crumbling highways, bridges, water and sewer infrastructure, public schools.\n\nWe have working poor right here in the USA. Why not take care of them?\n\nI know why. Because for generations, the USA has been the diaper changer of all countries who ask us to. This has been going on for ages.\n\nSECURE the borders now.\n\nHi MOM!
418387
It is a matter of magnitude.  There has always been some illegal aliens entering the country, but now it has grow to huge proportions with many demanding rights of full citizens and some saying that the Southwest United States is actually pat of Mexico.  Obviously this can’t continue.\n\nBegin with enforcing actions against companies hiring illegal aliens with large fines and jail terms on the business management and business owners.  Control the border at least as good as does Mexico protecting its Southern border.  That  is, close it.  \n\nThese actions will both cut to a trickle those illegally coming in our country and those here illegally will (to a large degree return to their country of origin.\n\nAfter that is done we could look at the cause of the problem.  People who want to better their lives coming to the United States for a better future.  In their shoes we would do the same.  Begin to work with Mexico to establish a better business climate in Mexico.  Then begin making incentives for those companies who have built businesses over seas, to move those businesses to Mexico.\n\nNone of this will make all of the problem go away but it should diminish it to a more reasonable size.
464957
There have been restrictions on immigration from the time that the U.S. was formed.  There are several reasons for this.  I will give you three:\n\nStrict control of immigration protects our national security\nby keeping out spys and terrorists.  We relaxed our immigration laws incrementally from the 1930's and continuing to today and we have seen multiple terrorist attacks in that time.\n\nControlling immigration controls allow us to screen out the criminals and deadbeats.\n\nToo large an influx of immigrants at any given time could potentially cause our economy to collapse.
910942
There is really no way to explain why except to say that the government of mexico is totally concerned with what others are doing at the cost of it's own people. It is the type of government that would rather keep more than half of it's people below poverty and at the same time have legislative meeting to petition the American government to allow criminals to walk free in American society. The government of mexico and the people who put them there are NOT accepted as a world class country for just that type of reason.
1182484
It's easy for Americans to visit Mexico.They can even walk the bridge. I believe passports will be needed and enforced in 2007. Thanks. PS I live in a border city.
576616
There is no border security.  Ships, their crews and cargos come and go without scrutiny.  Non-mexicans caught at the border are issued a summons to go to court and released INSIDE the US.  The only Terror that is being worked on is to terrorize the population into giving up their civil liberties, social security, and medicare, and pouring billions down the throats of Halliburton, the Carlyle Group and other Bush cronies.