U.S. Border Control

Immigration control may be in our backyards

November 9, 2005

As Europe's night skies erupt in flames, a leading Republican, worried about what might happen here, thinks the solution to unrestrained illegal immigration can be found in every neighborhood in America.

On the surface, it seems like an odd proposal for a nation that has a statue in the harbor of its largest city welcoming the huddled masses of the world yearning to breathe free, and who had a president telling an evil empire to tear down its walls.

But for the last two weeks on the nightly news we have seen the consequence of simply allowing anyone who wants to come in to immigrate, legally or illegally, especially if you do not have an infinite capacity to assimilate them, and particularly if you have a sizable number who do not want to be assimilated.

Our streets are not on fire. But our border guards are under fire, and every day brings reports of crimes by people who shouldn't be here, of hospitals closing and of school systems straining under the weight of illegal immigration.

We're a nation of immigrants, but we're also a nation of laws. Many come here seeking a better life. But the first duty of a nation is to promote the general welfare of its own citizens — "citizen" being the operative word.

Among those streaming across our border with Mexico are what the INS calls OTMs, or "other than Mexicans." Illegal immigration provides a mass of humanity that potential terrorists can hide among. And every warm body fuels the hopes of activists dreaming of a "Republica del Norte" or "Aztlan," reclaiming the territory in the American Southwest seized from Mexico.

As Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff recently told a Senate hearing: "Illegal immigration threatens our communities and our national security." Agreeing with him are the governors of Arizona and New Mexico, both of whom have declared border emergencies.

Groups like the Arizona Minuteman have tried to stem the tide and in some small measure have succeeded. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-San Diego, has proposed legislation that would aid an overworked and under-fire Border Patrol that is stretched thin across barren land and national parks, through which many illegals enter.

Hunter's bill would authorize the construction of a 2,000-mile dual-layer fence equipped with high-tech sensors stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the border is barely patrolled and protected by ditches and barbed wire at best. Hunter notes that despite our best efforts, "illegal aliens continue to funnel directly into many of our local communities and adversely impact our way of life."

The cost of such a fence has been estimated at $8 billion. That's chump change compared to the net burden illegals impose on taxpayers plus the current cost of border enforcement, such as it is.

But a cheaper alternative may be found alongside every interstate — the concrete or masonry sound barriers we're all familiar with. They range from nine to 16 feet in height, and cost between $175 to $200 a square meter.

According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, more than 2,630 linear miles of sound barriers are now in place along U.S. highways, built at a cost of $1.4 billion.

The first duty of a nation is to secure its borders and protect its citizens. Just ask the French.