Zack Space Returns From The Border
Congressman Zack Space has returned from his trip to the United States - Mexico border with other members of the House of Representatives.
“Illegal smugglers and Border Patrol agents play a game of cat-and-mouse every day – an occurrence that will only continue to grow until we make this crisis a top priority. Our Border Patrol agents are doing an amazing job with the resources they have, but they are being overwhelmed by the enormity of this crisis. They simply do not have the tools and support necessary to stem the tide of people wishing to enter our country illegally.
“The U.S.-Mexico border is much more porous than I had imagined. My experiences there have shown me the need for more fencing, more agents, and more technology. If we cannot stop the flow of people across our border, we will never be able to secure our country from those who wish to do us harm, take jobs Americans need, or drain our public resources.”
– Rep. Zack Space
It’s interesting to note that after returning from the border Space said that he feels that the 700 mile fence we’re building along the border is necessary. I’ve never really bought into the saying that good fences make good neighbors, but rather that building a fence was just a way around dealing with a bigger problem. No matter how big or well guarded a fence is, there will always be ways to get around it. The Berlin Wall should have taught us that. I’m not saying illegal immigration isn’t a problem, but in the long term I see a fence as nothing more than a stopgap solution. We need to come up with some sort of comprehensive immigration reform plan.
I also can’t help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Free trade allows companies to leave the United States to take advantage of cheap foreign labor. That “cheap foreign labor” then comes to the United States seeking better paying jobs. I’m no expert on the topic but I don’t really see how this can last in the long term.
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:28 am
I agree that a fence is simply a stopgap and that nothing will be solved until a more comprehensive immigration reform plan is in place. A fence can be a symbol, telling would-be illegals “this far, and no more”. But without backing, it will do no good. We need to respect those who came legally. That includes shipping back those that came illegally.
Both political parties seem to skirt this issue while they try to court the votes. I honestly think we will see the day when we try to give the vote (retroactively?) to these illegals.
I especially hate the argument that “these people are doing jobs that we don’t want to do”. I find that blatantly false. By taking these jobs, they lower the real wages given to others. Increasing the minimum wage is an artifical attempt to fix the problem of low wages.
I also hate the argument blaming this on big business. I actually think small business creates more of the problem. They have little/no incentive to play by the rules. And by skirting the rules, they undercut what legitimate business can do.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I can’t really disagree with anything you said. I think we pretty much have the same position on this.