To say that the debate over The Wall is heated would be somewhat of an understatement. From all appearances it seems that one side wants no barrier at all between our country and the one to the south, while the other envisions a towering, monumental structure on par with China’s Great Wall, or the Great Pyramids, something for a civilization 5,000 years hence to marvel at while they ponder the causes of the abrupt collapse in 2020 of the society that erected it.
Rather than the false choice we’re presented with, here might be a better solution: build the wall, or at least several different walls, along the most highly trafficked areas of the southern border. BUT, simultaneously dismantle the 100-mile wide “Constitution Free Zone” that extends into our own country, and that 2/3 of U.S. citizens live inside. The harassment of U.S. citizens by law enforcement, the casual violation of basic rights of due process, within this zone has been well-documented. It’s a disgrace, and unworthy of a free society, and any society that calls itself free should not tolerate such behavior from its own government. Every single law-abiding individual this side of the border should be treated as if they’re a resident and citizen. Our government’s failure at the border shouldn’t serve as the justification for the abuse and violation of the rights of U.S. citizens.
If our government can’t control our borders, it should no longer be allowed to employ a legion of badged, unionized thugs to harass U.S. citizens as a solution to its myriad failures. The government of a free society must find a way to function within the confines that the freedom of its citizens permits.
So, my solution would be this: build physical barriers at various, high-traffic locations to stem the tide of people. But, if some people slip through the barrier and enter the United States, as they invariably will, and no one has witnessed this happen, then it must be assumed that they are U.S. citizens, and treated with the dignity reserved for citizens of a free society. Unchecked law enforcement poses a real, immediate threat to U.S. citizens, and the stories of harassment, rape, and beatings of citizens by Border Patrol are toe-curling. In fact, it’s the Border Patrol committing the atrocities that we’re told illegal immigrants will take part in if we don’t build The Wall. Trading the fear of imagined crimes for real ones, along with a massive loss of liberty, is something that happens far too often.
