President Bush signed into law the Secure Fence Act of 2006 which was to be a major deterrent to illegal immigration over the 2000 miles of border at a cost of 21 million per mile. Today, smugglers routinely cut holes in it and drive over it.
However newsworthy these stories of illegal immigration are, they do not give an accurate picture of the problem. Most illegal immigrants in the US came into this country legally and never left. Most of them that entered illegally didn't swim across the Rio Grande, hike through the desert, or climb fences. They entered the country in cars, trucks, planes, and boats.
If we are ever to solve the illegal immigration problems, we are going have to address the problems realistically. No matter how high we build fences between the two counties, people will find ways to cross the boarder to find work and be with their families. By clamping down on the hiring of illegal workers, granting more work and visitation visas, and enforcing the time limits on visas we can eliminate most of the illegal immigration problems. In other words we need to look at realistic solutions and not be swayed by the extremist on either end of the spectrum.
