Michael Ramos-Lynch ‘09: Border fence a bad idea - and illegal, too

With the 2008 presidential elections right around the corner, presidential candidates have entertained extensive debate over the issue of illegal immigration. Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential candidate, fired the construction company working on his home because it was employing undocumented immigrants. The issue of illegal immigration is undoubtedly going to play an influential role in the 2008 presidential elections.

The Pew Hispanic Center utilized data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2005 Current Population Survey to estimate the U.S. population of undocumented immigrants at 12 million, with over half from Mexico and nearly a quarter from other Latin American countries. The high numbers of undocumented immigrants coming from Mexico to the U.S. have frequently been cited by political conservatives as a cause of America’s declining economy. The main argument that many conservatives often cite is that the undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from Americans. In order to limit the influx of illegal immigration from Mexico, President Bush has signed H.R. 6061, which enables the Department of Homeland Security to build a 700-mile fence along the border between Mexico and the U.S. Personal opinions on immigration aside, the construction of a border fence would be horribly detrimental to the U.S. economy, to the environment and to the seemingly infinite cultural exchanges that take place between Mexico and the U.S. along the border everyday. “*

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