Introduction
I chose to write about Trump’s policy focus on the construction of a wall on the southern border because of the much attention that has been given to this policy in the recent past. The fact that there are multiple arguments on the necessity of such a policy make it a good topic of discussion at a time when people are keen to see the appropriateness of the policies that have been introduced by President Trump (Memoli 1). The practicality of the policy with regard to the purpose of curbing the rate of illegal immigration has also been an issue/topic of discussion on various platforms. The policy should, therefore, be analyzed from both perspectives so as to get a logical understanding of whether the policy is worth the priority that it has been given. Critically, maybe the policy is worth the urgency that has been given, or maybe it is not. The analysis herein will lead to a conclusive understanding of the policy.
Statement
My quote from Trump on the construction of a wall at the Southern border is, “I will build a great wall -- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me -- and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words” (Hoft 1). This is the statement that President Trump made in June 2015 during the speech in which he introduced his candidature for the presidency.
Analysis
The people of the US have been increasingly getting concerned about the external factors that have effects on their way of life. Building a wall along the US-Mexico border can be said to be a way through which President Trump’s administration wants to protect the national economy, culture, and jobs from the threat that has resulted to the high number of Mexicans illegally entering the country (Burnett 1). Given the logic behind the wall, it can be said that it is a logic idea even though its practicality might be questionable.
First, it is fundamental to note that the number of Mexican illegal immigrants were already in decline during President Obama’s administration. During President Bush’s regime, 98% of the illegal immigrants in the US were Mexicans. By the end of Obama’s regime, the number of illegal immigrants in the US had greatly reduced with only 47% of them being Mexicans (Shaffer 102). This might be taken to mean that the policies that were already there to curb the rate of illegal immigrants from Mexico were functional if the statistics are anything to go by. This is a point of argument that raises the question on the necessity of the wall given the fact that the rate of arrest of illegal immigrants has remained to be the same in both the areas that are separated by the fence that was built in 2006 and the areas not affected by the fence.
Apart from the question of the necessity of the wall, there is also the question of the cost and the payment of the wall. During Trump's campaign, he promised that the wall would be built at the expense of Mexico (Pace 1). However, it is now evident that the Mexican government has no intention of paying for the wall. This is an indication that the American taxpayers will have to pay for the wall now that President Trump has already signed an executive order for the wall to be built (Diamond 2). President Trump has assured members of the public that despite the public dismissal of the project by the Mexican government, Mexico will still pay for the wall in one way or another. However, the president has not come clear on how he intends to ensure that Mexico pays for the wall.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the cost of putting up the wall has not yet been declared publicly. This might be an indication that the government is yet not sure of exactly the amount of money that it will take to build the wall. It would have been better if the government had revealed the budget for the wall to the general public. The fact that he stated that the wall will not be expensive makes it logical for the government to give figures on exactly how much it will cost to build the wall.
Conclusion
I think that the policy on building a wall at the Southern border to protect the country from the influence of illegal immigrants is a good idea. However, I think it is one of the policies that would have waited for further study on the implications to take place. Many Americans live worth the fear that their tax money might be used in constructing a wall that might not be of effect on the number of Mexican immigrants in the US. With the US being vulnerable to cyber threats such as Stuxnet, it would be wise for the government to consider such threats which cannot be prevented by the construction of a wall.
Works Cited
Burnett, John. "Southern Border Wall: Campaign Slogan Meets Reality : NPR." NPR.org, 23 Jan. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/01/23/511165471/southern-border-wall-campaign-slogan-meets-reality. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.
Diamond, Jeremy. "Trump Orders Construction of Border Wall, Moves to Increase Deportations Politics.com." CNN, 26 Jan. 2017, edition.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politics/donald-trump-build-wall-immigration-executive-orders/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.
Hoft, Jim. "DONALD TRUMP: I Would Build a Great, Great Wall on Our Southern Border and Make Mexico Pay For It (VIDEO)." The Gateway Pundit, 16 Jan. 2015, www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/06/donald-trump-i-would-build-a-great-great-wall-on-our-southern-border-i-would-make-mexico-pay-for-it-video/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.
Memoli, Michael. "What to Expect in Trump's First 100 Days - LA Times." Latimes.com, 22 Jan. 2017, www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-trump-first-100-days-20170121-story.html. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.
Pace, Julie, et al. "Donald Trump: 'We Will Build the Wall' | Time.com." TIME | Current & Breaking News | National & World Updates, 25 Jan. 2017, time.com/4646273/donald-trump-wall-mexico-border-immigration/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.
Shaffer, Andrew. The Day of the Donald: Trump Trumps America! 2016..
