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MASTERPOST: Why Trump's Vanity Wall Is Stupid and Everything Trump Says About It Is a Lie

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Some actual facts to keep in mind while listening to the anticipated lies Trump will be spewing on national television this evening.

A Wall Won’t Stop Illegal Immigration

Because more than half the immigrants currently in the United States illegally came here legally:

“In 2006, the Pew Research Center calculated that more than a third of all unauthorized immigrants entered lawfully and then simply overstayed their visas. ... By 2012, visa overstays accounted for 58 percent of all new unauthorized immigrants.”

“Overstays accounted for about two-thirds (66 percent) of those who arrived (i.e., joined the undocumented population) in 2014. Overstays have exceeded EWIs [Entries Without Inspection, i.e. immigrants who crossed the border without proper immigration documents] every year since 2007, and 600,000 more overstays than EWIs have arrived since 2007.”

“Two-thirds of the foreigners living here illegally didn’t sneak across the border; they came on temporary visas.”

A Wall Won’t Stop Illegal Drugs

Because most illegal drugs arrive via ship or plane, not by land:

“According to the DEA, almost all drugs come in through legal points of entry.”

“As for drugs, the Coast Guard says 95 percent of them arrive in container ships or other boats.”

According to a report from the DEA, TCOs [Transnational Criminal Organizations] “generally route larger drug shipments destined for the Northeast through the Bahamas and/or South Florida by using a variety of maritime conveyance methods, to include speedboats, fishing vessels, sailboats, yachts, and containerized sea cargo. In some cases, Dominican Republic-based traffickers will also transport cocaine into Haiti for subsequent shipment to the United States via the Bahamas and/or South Florida corridor using maritime and air transport. ... According to DEA reporting, the majority of the heroin available in New Jersey originates in Colombia and is primarily smuggled into the United States by Colombian and Dominican groups via human couriers on commercial flights to the Newark International Airport.”

This holds true even for drugs coming specifically from Mexico:

Again, according to the DEA: “The most common method employed by Mexican TCOs involves transporting drugs in vehicles through U.S. ports of entry (POEs). Illicit drugs are smuggled into the United States in concealed compartments within passenger vehicles or commingled with legitimate goods on tractor trailers.”

“A barrier in the form of a wall is increasingly irrelevant to the drug trade as it is now practiced because most of the drugs smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico no longer arrive on the backs of those who cross illegally. Instead, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, most of the smuggled marijuana as well as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines comes through the 52 legal ports of entry on the border.”

“Stephen D. Morris, a Middle Tennessee State University political science professor whose research has largely focused on Mexico, gave us the same two reasons for why he believes ‘the wall will not do very much to stop drugs.’ ‘First, as you say, most drug shipments come disguised as commerce and are crossing the border by truck or in cargo containers. Human mules, to my knowledge, bring in a small fraction,’ he said. ‘Second, smugglers adapt. Whether it is tunnels, submarines, mules, drones, etc., they are good at figuring out new ways to get drugs to those in the US who will buy them.’”

Trump’s then-Chief of Staff John Kelly, testifying before Congress: “Certainly the metrics are people that don’t cross into the United States illegally. Another metric would be the amount of -- It mostly comes through the ports of entry.”

A Wall Won’t Stop Terrorists

Because most foreign terrorists arrive by plane, not over the Mexican border:

According to Trump’s own State Department: “At year’s end there was no credible evidence indicating that international terrorist groups have established bases in Mexico, worked with Mexican drug cartels, or sent operatives via Mexico into the United States.”

“According to Justice Department public records and two former counterterrorism officials, no immigrant has been arrested at the southwest border on terrorism charges in recent years.”

“In fiscal year 2017, federal officials stopped 3,755 people on the terrorist watch list from traveling to or entering the United States, but that includes people traveling through airports, seaports and land ports. The vast majority of those attempt to enter by air.”

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered only six immigrants at ports of entry on the U.S-Mexico border in the first half of fiscal year 2018 whose names were on a federal government list of known or suspected terrorists, according to CBP data provided to Congress in May 2018.

“Nick Rasmussen, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center from December 2014 through December 2017 said, ‘During my tenure, the threat of terrorists trying to infiltrate the United States across our southern border was much more of a theoretical vulnerability than an actual one. It simply isn’t the case that terrorist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda see the southern border as the optimal the way to get would-be terrorists into the country.’”

“Federal law enforcement has warned America’s airports and airlines that they remain top targets for terrorists because of their symbolic value, ‘inherent accessibility, and the presence of large crowds in unsecure areas.’”

Even Fox News contradicts the Trump administration on this: “Wait, wait, wait, wait wait - I know the statistic. I didn’t know if you were going to use it, but I studied up on this. You know where those 4,000 people were captured? Airports. The State Department says there hasn’t been any terrorists found coming across the southern border.”

Heck, more foreigners--as well as more people, period--on the terrorist watch list enter the United States through Canada than through Mexico:

“Overall, 41 people on the Terrorist Screening Database were encountered at the southern border from Oct. 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018, but 35 of them were U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. Six were classified as non-U.S. persons. On the northern border, CBP stopped 91 people from the database, including 41 who were not American citizens or residents.”

A Wall Is Unnecessary

Because current enforcement measures are already working:

Illegal entries are down to “roughly one-tenth the 2005 level.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security: “The successful illegal entry of migrants has significantly declined over the last ten years, the deterrence rate of illegal migration at the border has risen substantially, and the probability of apprehension has also risen.”

“Ramped-up border enforcement is working, helping to reduce successful crossings to one-tenth of what they were a decade earlier across the southern U.S. border with Mexico. ... Far fewer migrants from Mexico are successfully entering the country illegally than a decade ago because stepped-up border enforcement means fewer are trying, more are getting caught and more are giving up. ... Border Patrol apprehensions ... have dropped to the lowest levels since the early 1970s. The size of the nation’s undocumented population has leveled off at about 11.1 million after years of rapid growth, according to the Pew Research Center.”

And because, while fewer Mexicans are coming to the United States, more Americans are relocating to Mexico:

“The estimated number of Mexicans in the United States illegally rose steadily for many years, from 2.9 million in 1995 to a peak of 6.9 million in 2007. But the number began dropping in 2008 and has fallen more since, reaching 5.8 million in 2014, the latest year for which Pew analyzed data. If the number is falling, that means more illegal Mexican immigrants are leaving the United States than entering it. The numbers include both immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and those who overstayed their visas. ... In 2014, the Border Patrol apprehended more non-Mexicans than Mexicans for the first time in at least 60 years.”

“Many Americans worry about illegal immigration from Mexico. The country is actually gaining immigrants itself. The legal foreign-born population doubled from 2000 to 2010. It’s now one million total. Of these, 750,000 are Americans. As a result, more Americans have immigrated to Mexico over the past few years than vice-versa.”

Walls Don’t Help Enforcement

According to former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and “other experts”: “A wall does not add enforcement value except in heavy crossing areas near towns, highways, or other ‘vanishing points.’”

“Fencing has value in border crossing areas near ‘vanishing’ points (towns or highways), but in other places ‘makes no sense at all’ and ‘doesn’t add any value.’ Moreover, constructing a 2,000 mile barricade would pose immense engineering and environmental challenges and the result would be far from ‘impenetrable.’”

Existing barriers have already proven ineffective: “Using the broad powers granted to the Attorney General (AG) to control and guard the U.S. border, the USBP began erecting a barrier known as the ‘primary fence’ directly on the border in 1990 to deter illegal entries and drug smuggling in its San Diego sector. The San Diego fence formed part of the USBP’s ‘Prevention Through Deterrence’ strategy, which called for reducing unauthorized migration by placing agents and resources directly on the border along population centers in order to deter would-be migrants from entering the country. The San Diego primary fence was completed in 1993 ... The primary fence, by itself, did not have a discernible impact on the influx of unauthorized aliens coming across the border in San Diego.”

Walls Don’t Deter Immigrants

“One statistic that correlates closely with the construction of more walls [is] an increase in the number of deaths. As easier routes are closed, migrants choose ever more dangerous paths to reach their destination. ... Despite these clear material impacts on the lives of migrants, millions of people globally continue to cross borders without authorization—meaning walls are relatively ineffective.”

No One Wants a Wall

A majority of the country doesn’t want a wall:

“A majority -- 59 percent of Americans -- oppose building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.”

61% of registered voters “think building a wall between the US and Mexico ... should not be an immediate priority.”

Local politicians--including Republicans--don’t want a wall:

Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas whose district includes 800 miles of the Mexican border, says: “You can’t build a wall from sea to shining sea. It just doesn’t work. It’s the most expensive way to do border security, and it’s the least effective.”

Even the U.S. Border Patrol doesn’t want a wall:

“Border Patrol agents on the front lines say they need more technology and additional personnel to curb the illegal traffic ... less than one half of 1 percent of the agents’ suggestions to secure the Southwest border mentioned the need for a wall. ... [Trump’s] funding requests for a wall far exceeded proposed spending on border technology and personnel, which border agents identified as critically needed.”

A Wall Would Devastate the Environment

A wall would destroy the natural habitats of dozens of species:

“The Center for Biological Diversity reports that 93 wildlife species would be adversely affected. ‘This may well lead to the extinction of the jaguar, ocelot, cactus ferruginous pygmy owl and other species in the United States.’”

“Wall construction proceeds without the necessary depth of environmental impact analysis, development of less-damaging alternative strategies, postconstruction environmental monitoring, mitigation, public input, and pursuit of legal remedies. ... The border wall harms wildlife populations by eliminating, degrading, and fragmenting habitats ... the border bisects the geographic ranges of 1506 native terrestrial and freshwater animal (n = 1077) and plant (n = 429) species, including 62 species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List ... construction of the wall and associated infrastructure, such as roads, lights, and operating bases, eliminates or degrades natural vegetation, kills animals directly or through habitat loss, fragments habitats (thereby subdividing populations into smaller, more vulnerable units), reduces habitat connectivity, erodes soils, changes fire regimes, and alters hydrological processes (e.g., by causing floods). ... Physical barriers prevent or discourage animals from accessing food, water, mates, and other critical resources by disrupting annual or seasonal migration and dispersal routes. ... If cut off by a border wall, 17% of the 346 species we analyzed, including jaguar (Panthera onca) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), would have residual US populations covering 20,000 square kilometers or less ... This would elevate their risk of extirpation within the United States according to IUCN Red List criteria.”

“Scientists agree with the irrefutable evidence that the border wall is a rampant ecological disaster. This is notable because consensus is rare among scientists. When scientific consensus does exist—as with climate change—it’s a wake-up call that business as usual is likely to result in catastrophe. ... the border wall also cuts through the habitats of over 1,500 wildlife species. ... [A] wall is an unclimbable barricade for 346 nonflying animal species, not to mention flighted species like the endangered Quino checkerspot butterfly and the threatened and endangered ferruginous pygmy-owl that cannot fly high enough to surmount the wall. Without passage, animals cannot disperse to new populations to spread their genes, potentially leading to genetic inbreeding akin to the plight of the African cheetah. During natural seasonal flooding, the wall traps flood waters and kills wildlife and vegetation. During natural disasters like heat waves, when water or food on one side of the wall is not available, those species will be left to perish, unable to access resources on the other side. ... Building the border wall sacrifices the ancient biodiversity of North America for the momentary political gain of one president.”

One example: Trump is planning to build his wall through the National Butterfly Center, and has already begun “the surveying and staking of a ‘clear zone’ that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds.” On privately owned property, yet.

A Wall Is Absurdly Expensive

Trump’s wall will cost--at a minimum--more than 2½ times the $8 billion Trump originally claimed:

His own Department of Homeland Security estimates the cost at $21.6 billion, not including maintenance.

“The best estimate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers” is $31.2 billion.

Some estimates have been as high as $70 billion!

And based on the last time we built a barrier on the border, the wall is likely to cost at least five times the estimate:

“Congress set aside $1.2 billion for the 700-mile border fence in 2006. ... The Congressional Research Service found that by 2015, Congress had already spent $7 billion on the project.”

Oh, and Mexico is not paying for it.

Why Trump Insists on Building His Vanity Wall Anyway

He’d like to be permanently enshrined on this list:

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Mount Rushmore

Grant’s Tomb

Jefferson Memorial

Hoover Dam

Kennedy Center

Roosevelt Island

Trump Wall

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