But almost all of these areas already have high
fences, because of the hundreds of miles of building that
followed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. In emptier areas,
reducing a border crosser's head start by 10 to 15 minutes is
hardly a deterrent--and in Texas, the Rio Grande already
serves that purpose. The border wall would be dangerous
More wall-building could have tragic consequences. Violence, poverty, and family ties ensure that migrants will
continue attempting the risky journey through the border
region's inhospitable wilderness zones. Every year, U.S.
authorities find the remains of hundreds of migrants, dead of
dehydration and exposure in deserts and scrublands. With more
fencing, migrants may attempt the crossing in even more
remote areas, where the probability of death will be even
higher. The border wall would be divisive
Building a wall sends a toxic message to one of our two
closest neighbors, a country on whose cooperation the United
States' national security and economic prosperity depends. Mexico is the United States' third-largest trading partner. Our common border is 1,970 miles long.
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border wall migrants