According to a conservative think tank, The Cato Institute, the Trump wall won’t work for the following reasons: historically, they are ineffective, people build tunnels and develop other ways to get past the wall. Nearly half of illegal immigrants are “overstayers,” meaning they entered legally with visas but never left. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, almost all illegal drugs come through legal entry points, cleverly hidden in trucks and cars.
A wall forces the U.S. government to take private land by eminent domain, which is not only ethically wrong, but will result in countless lawsuits, costing taxpayers millions. Border agents, not their political leaders, believe that technology is the key to curbing illegal entry: more cameras, sensors and drone surveillance are more effective than a wall.
Border agents also acknowledge that a wall is not sufficient on its own, and like East Germany, a militarized zone with 24-hour surveillance and guards would be necessary to “enforce” the wall. A barrier will have dire consequences for wildlife who migrate within their wide-ranging territories, unaware of country borders. Lastly, MIT engineers have estimated that actual costs of the wall would be over $38 billion.
