Essay on Donald Trumps Mexico Wall

The construction of a wall along the US-Mexico is perhaps the most controversial campaign promises ever made by a person running for the US presidency. On the campaign trail, the president promised to build an impenetrable barrier between Mexico and the United States to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants. The wall is supported by many of Trumps colleagues but has been bitterly opposed by various interest groups including the state government of California. This paper looks at the proposal to build the wall and support and opposition to the radical proposition.

Discussion: How will it Work? Who will it Impact? How will it be Funded?

One of President Donald Trumps key campaign promises involved building a physical wall across the Southern border. According to BBC News (2017), Trump has described the wall as a beautiful, tall and robust structure that will almost span the entire border with Mexico. According to White (2017A), trump prefers a concrete wall that towers 30 to 50 feet in the air and runs 5 feet into the ground. The wall will allegedly cover 1000 miles with natural barriers taking care of the 900 miles not covered by the wall.

Trump alleged that the wall would cost between10 to 12 billion US dollars. However, critics argue that the wall could require much more. According to White (2017A), the 650 miles of fence already erected along the border cost 6 billion dollars. The funding of the wall is also controversial as President Trump asserted that he would force Mexico to pay for the wall. However, President Trump has conceded that the American taxpayer will have to pay for the initial cost of building the wall. However, some of Trumps supporters maintain that Mexico will be made to pay for the wall later. They have proposed various mechanisms to make Mexico pay through increased import tariffs, tax on remittances and a new border adjustment tax. Supporters of the idea argue that the spending on building the wall is justified as it will prevent the entry of immigrants.

Illegal immigrants allegedly increase competition for jobs and contributed to high crime rates (Yee, Davis and Patel, 2017). If the wall is built, it is likely to affect the plans of thousands of illegal immigrants that use the porous Mexico border to enter the US. Also, landowners and residents living on the border may have to sell their land and move to make way for the wall (Peak, 2017). Residents in border towns that stretch into Mexico will also be cut-off from Mexican sides of their cities.

Outline the Arguments put Forward by Opponents of the Plan

Trumps proposal to build a wall has been bitterly opposed by interests groups ranging from environmentalists to state governors. Environmentalists have argued that the wall will upset a delicate ecosystem by blocking migratory routes for some animals (Peak, 2017). Some of the affected animals include endangered black bears and jaguars. The black bears will be particularly harmed as those on the US side wont be able to mate with bears on the Mexican side.

Environmentalists have also complained that the wall may cause flooding and will be an eyesore in the areas where it will be built (Peak, 2017). Consequently, many environmental groups have filed suits seeking to block the building of the wall for its alleged interference with natural ecosystems. Other groups opposed to the construction of the wall have bought parcels of land along the border. The individuals purchasing land believe they will be able to block the building of the wall by preventing the government from taking their property.

The government of California is also opposed to the building of the wall between Mexico and the United States. California filed a suit suing the Federal government for its plan to build the border wall (White, 2017A). Many residents of California dismiss the wall as ineffective and a xenophobic move to prevent entry of non-Caucasians into the United States. According to the Californian Attorney General, the proposed wall is a violation of environmental laws and seeks to undermine state laws that guarantee sovereignty. California also asserted that the federal government must respect all laws while building the wall in their backyard. California like other Democrat states has participated in campaigns opposed to the building of the wall. They have been recently joined by online groups such as Cards for Humanity whose parent company publicized a move to buy land along the border (White, 2017B).

My Opinion

I do not support the proposal to build a wall across the southern border. The wall will be ineffective as immigrants will find other ways of entering the country. Some immigrants have been known to dig tunnels across borders while other may take the alternative sea route. Also, the wall will inevitably worsen diplomatic relationship with Mexico which is one of the USs main trading partners. Moreover, the wall goes against the spirit of global integration as it prevents free movement of people from one country to the next. Also, the move to build the wall is likely to isolate the US as a pariah state that does not want to co-operate with other countries in the matters of global development.

References

BBC News (2007). Donald Trump's Mexico wall: Who is going to pay for it?. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37243269

White, J. B. (September 20, 2017A). California sues Donald Trump over his Mexican border wall. The Independent [online]. Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-sued-california-wall-mexico-border-state-legal-action-president-immigration-a7958071.html

Peak, S. (November 10, 2017). List of Trump's border wall opponents gets new addition: Butterflies. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/list-of-trumps-border-wall-opponents-gets-new-addition-butterflies/article/2640351

White, J. B. (November 15, 2017B). Cards Against Humanity buys area of US border to prevent Trump building his wall. Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cards-against-humanity-trump-border-wall-buy-land-stop-building-a8055396.html

Yee, K. D, Davis, K. & Patel, J. K. (March 6, 2017). Heres the Reality About Illegal Immigrants in the United States. New York Times [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/06/us/politics/undocumented-illegal-immigrants.html