by Stephen B.

Created on: July 15, 2008

There is big push for and against this border fence right now from groups of people tht range from rich oil tycoons to poor farmers. One thing that we are sure of is the need to prevent people pouring over the southern border without becoming citizens. This is an issue with many factors as well; they range from ethnicity to class to criminal.

Now there is a beautiful saying etched at the base of the Statue of Liberty that says, "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-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" written by Emma Lazarus. These people flooding over our border are the ones spoken about in that poem. Migrant workers are not here to do anything but survive invoke their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The United States was founded on the premise of being a nation of immigrants until they started coming from southern countries instead of Europe. Did we not allow millions and millions to enter this country by just signing up at Ellis Island without having to go through years of lines and paperwork just because they wanted to work and live a free life? These people are the ones that have had their land taken from them by a corrupt government that gave the land to rich agricultural corporations based in the United States. We are creating a system where these people have to come here to claim a life for themselves since we took their lives away in Mexico or Latin America. When was the last time you saw an illegal immigrant doing a job that legal American wanted to do?

The border fence is proposed to be about 1200 miles and will bring about a much larger problem to the community and nature. Right now in the city of El Paso, TX, the 21st largest city in the US, they #1 way that illegal immigrants are entering the country is underground. El Paso already has a fence, actually there are two fences and a river, the Rio Grande, neither of which has halted people from entering the country illegally. Some of these tunnels have hit important sewage and water pipes or have collapsed taking out the ground above. The damage has to be paid for by local residents who also paid for the fences along the river and illegal immigrants are still getting into America illegally.

One of the most unforeseen impacts of the border though is the migration of animals from Mexico to the four states that are along the border. As we know already that the environment is volatile and should put on top of the list for consideration when deciding what will be affected by this huge project.

Hopefully we can start to support a Mexico that will not exploit its people and give into greedy corporations. Hopefully we can punish businesses that hire illegals so there will be no jobs for them to come look for. But, most of all lets hope that we can keep an open border with people that are just looking to survive and live a free life.

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