| We know what works - a border fence December 4, 2005 Tonight, more than four years after 9/11, thousands of foreigners will
covertly enter the United States. This will happen again tomorrow night,
and the night after, and every night of the year, until we take the simple
step of erecting an effective border fence. The world now knows what our Mexican neighbors have known for a long time: Our borders are wide open, and anyone who wants to enter can, with little fear of getting caught. The governors of Arizona and New Mexico have declared border emergencies. The sea of illegal aliens provides a potential cover for terrorists and criminals - and a reliable means of entry. President Bush, Sen. John McCain, and other politicians have proposed guest-worker programs that would legalize illegal aliens already here while effectively leaving the border open to additional entrants, who are already being attracted by the promise of "amnesty." The sponsors deny their proposals amount to amnesty since they don't provide immediate U.S. citizenship. But that's not the test! An amnesty is any proposal that gives illegal entrants an advantage over law-abiders who wait in their home countries for permission to enter the United States. Millions of qualified legal immigrants have waited and do wait. But to satisfy the cheap labor lobby in Washington, President Bush, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and other politicians want America to talk tough on immigration, but actually reward lawbreakers with legal status and make fools of those who wait their turn. President Bush and other "reformers" claim their proposals will tighten the border by hiring more Border Patrol agents, expanding detention space, and deploying more detection technology on the border. But this is just more of what we've tried for years. We know what works: a border fence. When illegals encounter an effective border fence, they are driven to unfenced sectors. Granted, sometimes this leads them into less hospitable territory, risking and sometimes losing their lives. The solution is to build a fence that can't be walked around, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.) has proposed such a fence. Critics complain about the cost. But they ignore the costs of not building a fence, of having to hire ever more Border Patrol agents, deploy ever more technology, spend ever more on prosecution, incarceration, and medical care for illegal aliens, as well as public education for the children. As long as the border is open, the crisis will continue, and businesses that try to hire only legal workers will continue to be noncompetitive with those that hire illegals at lower wages. Four years after 9/11, it is ridiculous to worry about our subways and trains and ports and factories yet leave our borders wide open. If we need more unskilled labor in the United States, then we should lift the legal limit on unskilled immigrant labor, now set at 10,000 visas a year. And we should limit applications from foreigners outside the country. And what of the estimated 12 to 20 million illegals already here? The "reformers" say we must either deport them all or legalize them all through an amnesty. But there is a third way. First, gain control of our borders with an effective fence. Then strengthen and enforce immigration laws. That includes punishing employers who hire illegals. Once we have done those things, the illegal alien population will decline. Then and only then might we consider some sort of amnesty for illegals who remain. This is not anti-immigrant. We rightly have the most generous immigration program in the world, accepting each year more legal permanent resident immigrants with a clear path to full citizenship than the rest of the nations of the world combined. Nor is this blaming illegal aliens. They know their best interests. As long as the benefits of braving our laws and borders exceed the risks, they'll make the logical choice. The ones responsible are the politicians who pose as reformers yet refuse to defend our borders and enforce the law because some constituents - and contributors - find legal labor too expensive. A border fence is the essential first step of any serious plan to limit illegal immigration. Without it, no reform is possible. Jan C. Ting served as assistant commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1990 to 1993. Last updated December 12, 2005 |