US Immigration Reform and Drug Traffic

The Mexican Government is genuinely concerned about it's borders because one of the largest problems that Mexico faces is illegal immigration (from the south). The US Government is not serious because the Democratic Party knows that Mexican people seeking a new home in the USA are likely to vote for that particular political group.

Now that we've cut to the chase, let's delve a bit more deeply into linkage between illegal drug traffic from Mexican cartels and US/Mexico border security and immigration reform.

The 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act, signed by President Reagan granted amnesty to the then 3 million illegal immigrants and promised border enforcement. Amnesty came, effective enforcement didn't because at the time, the US Border was a safety valve against the revolution that the Mexican government always fears but hasn't materialized since 1968 when they set armored vehicles on their own people. Discontent Mexicans go north and so long as they have a place to go, the US enjoys a stable regime to the south. Or so it seemed to President Reagan.

Illegal immigration from Mexico has slowed down a lot over the past decade due to a horrible economy in the US and an improving economy in Mexico. There are also the demographics to consider. The population in Mexico is not growing at a rate that will force nearly as many Mexican people north in search of work in the future. 

A secure LOW TECH fence between the US and Mexico would stop something on the order of 50% of the cross border drug traffic from Mexico into the US. It would also stop about 100% of the illegal border crossing.

Are the Americans considering such a fence? 

Apparently not.

Why? (see paragraph one above)

The bipartisan Senate deal reached by the Gang of Eight, led by Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republicans John McCain and Marco Rubio makes illegal immigrants eligible for green cards and, ultimately, citizenship and it additionally grants the right to live and work here openly. Once granted, it will never be revoked.

The US does not need high tech radar blimps, Predator drones, and sophisticated measures to control cross-border illegal immigration or drug traffic from Mexico. They only need a fence. A regular fence. In 2006, Congress $1 billion to construct 53 (out of 2,000) miles of fence. It worked well for the contractors and the triple layer fence near San Diego works.  But it doesn't have to be three layers of razor wire to be effective. It just has to be a genuine FENCE.

Once the fence is complete, THEN allow the 11 million illegal aliens a pathway to citizenship. They're here anyway, many receiving welfare, food stamps and other government hand-outs despite their illegal status.. Make them pay for their ObamaCare the same as everyone else.

The fence will have the additional impact of reducing the flow of drugs -- which means that the cartels will have to find another way to deliver the narcotics, but it will make it more difficult than it is now.