In a recent issue of The Reflector, one editorialist argued there is no emergency at the border. While he did his research, his views do not match facts, and the data in the article is very difficult to verify.
In the article, the author claimed a border wall would be a monument to hateful lies about illegal immigrants. However, President Donald Trump has addressed the nation about the border, comparing the wall to a fenced-in home saying, “Why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences and gates around their homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside.”
Trump’s motivation is to protect Americans from foreign criminals and has nothing to do with hatred. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 94 percent of immigrants in prison entered the country illegally.
Also, the statistics quoted in the article are very difficult to verify, including an estimated 76 percent of immigrants are legal and most illegal drugs are seized at customs, but significant portions of the border have no barrier, with the largest gap being over 600 miles. So, how could these statistics include people or drugs who cross through one of those gaps?
Additionally, many cities, including the entire state of California, do not report illegal immigrants, so those cities are likely to be excluded in the statistics cited.
There is a problem, and we need increased border security to protect Americans from crime and illegal drugs.