The Texas-Mexico border

Scenes from la frontera

Fence politics in Texas

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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

From the poem in the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus, New York City, 1883


To Blog Fodder:
I just want to confirm if your comment about the "50 meters fence extended all around the USA" is in fact serious and literal...or if it is ( as I would like to think) just a very clever sarcastic comment...
I wonder how all of the people that recommended your comment interpreted it.
Please clarify!


Let anyone that wants to work come and let them bring their families, this will keep us strong and it is the American way.


I would agree that every country needs to control and defend its boarders. However emphasis on "security" (ie terrorism), and illegal workers "stealing" jobs is overblown. Building a fence doesn't solve the root problems with illegal immigration between Mexico and the USA. If the USA was serious about decreasing illegal immigration from Mexico (and the exploitation of Mexican illegal workers) they should have a four pronged approach to the problem: a zero tolerance policy towards both visa-less workers and employers; a realistic worker visa program for foreign farm laborers; investing aggressively in economic development in Mexico and South America; and working with Mexican federal authorities to secure the boarder as a US funded project with funding going to Mexico, and a defined scorecard system for goals.Unfortunately the fence is just a political distraction created to fool those voters gullible enough to think that a fence could solve larger fundamental problems. Equally amusing was the original proposal (over reaction?)to create a fence between the US and Canada to protect from terrorists and what you would have to suppose to be masses of illegal Canadian farm laborers. The perfect trifecta would be a trillion dollar floating fence around the US coasts to protect from terrorists, hurricanes and illegal farm immigrants from all over the world rowing to the US in little rubber dingies - ahh, if only Bush had another term...

Jet Screamer

zernik - I appreciate your bewilderment, and your explanation as to the vast difference between the Isreal/Palestinian security issue and the US/Mexico immigration problem. The reasons used to justify a fence in both situations is completely different- though, in my opinion, whether wrong or right, a fence comes with similar symbology.

Jet Screamer

Mary.J - The issue here is larger than the actual fence. First, your use of the term 'Pro-illegal alien' is a silly volley of rhetoric meant to discredit those who see things differently than you- how transparent and cheap. Second, you liken the immigration of Mexicans to suicide bombers in the Middle East- are you ok? What's wrong with you? You may be for immigration reform, you may think a fence is the answer to the immigration problem, but your comments are condescending and insulting to an entire people.

If you don't like the reality of undocumented immigration to the US, then why not provide some insight into how our generous natures can be put to work helping to solve the issues that cause people to seek undocumented immigration? It's one thing to spout off about how generous we've been to Mexicans when your own well being isn't on the line. After-all, how generous have you been, personally? How generous have any of us been? Just because the government doesn't enforce the law completely, doesn't make you generous. In our generosity, our society allows people to act as 'minute-men' who stand at the border and shoot at people trying to come in- we don't even kill rapists in this country, yet we're going to shoot and kill some poor deperate people.

If you want to be generous, then put yourself in the shoes- with the fear, the discrimination, the cost, the lonliness, the insecurity- of those who who bravely (and yes, illegally) try to do the only thing they can to change their lives for the better, and I think your views, if not changed completely, would certainly be a bit more respectfully tempered.

Immigration needs to be reformed, and in a way that preserves the dignity of the people who want to come and make a life here- have you ever gone through the process of immigration with anyone? At it's best it is unfriendly and secretive- with communication that is severly limited, and delays for which no explanation is ever given. For the people who immigrate legally, this process is a nightmare, and the welcome people get is even worse.

Certainly we can't let everyone in that want's to come here- I think anyone advocating that doesn't understand the impact of a policy like that- however, it can be made easier, more flexible, more friendly, more dignified, and all in a way that encourages legal immigration, and discourages illegal immigration. Moreover, the US needs to help Mexico transform its leadership (which it is doing)... but that takes time. A fence that is 700 miles long doesn't solve the problem, and hence only serves as a Band-aid to the problem- but more, it stands as a symbol- and not a good one at that.











Potato Todd III


corpus callosum


Jet Screamer

I think it's funny that some claim the wall is being erected to, among other things, keep terrorists out. Since 9/11, why would a terrorist want to come to the US? We're already doing a good job of imploding ourselves!

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
- Some of us still believe America should stand by these words- I know my forefathers did. For my part, I will lift my lamp even higher.

Jet Screamer



To call 11m people who cross the border illegally "law abiding" is a farce. I have worked in Mexico and I obtained a work visa. Everyone understands that 99% of the people crossing illegally are just looking for a job/better life. But the illegals do suppress wages. Drugs also cross the border. To say that America creates the demand for drugs and "illegal workers" does not support the proposition that supplying them is an acceptable thing to do.














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