Illegal immigration reality check: A wall wouldn’t be that effective

In this Jan. 25, 2017, file photo, a truck drives near the Mexico-US border fence, on the Mexican side, separating the towns of Anapra, Mexico and Sunland Park, New Mexico. White House budget documents show President Donald Trump wants billions of dollars to start building a wall at the Mexican border and fund efforts to find, jail and deport immigrants illegally in the country. (AP Photo/Christian Torres, File)

President Donald Trump was elected on a promise to fix America’s illegal immigration problem. To that end, he has proposed building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

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However, a new survey concludes that a wall would not be nearly as effective as Trump and his proponents think. Most illegal immigrants who have entered the country in recent years originally came through on visas and then stayed after the visas had expired.

From the New York Times:

In each year from 2007 to 2014, more people joined the ranks of the illegal by remaining in the United States after their temporary visitor permits expired than by creeping across the Mexican border, according to a report by researchers at the Center for Migration Studies.

A partial government estimate released last year said that 416,500 people whose business or tourist visas had expired in 2015 were still in the country in 2016. That does not count people who came here on student visas or temporary worker permits.

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In 1996, then-president Bill Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which, among other things, mandated an automated entry-and-exit screening system for those here on visas. More than 20 years later, the system is still not in place. Congress has passed laws mandating the president enforce the law seven times since then, but the executive branch, under the control of both parties, has refused.

The Trump administration could be the exception on this matter. They could decide to enforce the law. That would shut down the single largest gateway for illegal immigrants into the United States.

Another problem is that around 60 percent of illegal immigrants have been here for over a decade. They have roots in this country. They have families and businesses. A wall will not solve the problem of what to do about them.

Finally, there needs to be some serious legal immigration reform. Right now, the bulk of illegal immigration comes Mexico and Central America, and the Philippines is also in the top 10. Meanwhile, there is a 22-year backlog for legal immigration from Mexico and The Philippines. Both countries represent a combined 40 percent of the total backlog of those wanting to immigrate legally into the U.S. The reason is that the law prohibits any country of origin from constituting more than seven percent of all immigration visas issued in a given year.

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This is absurd. Immigration should be based on the skills of those seeking to immigrate, not what country they come from. This restriction, which unintentionally incentivizes illegal immigration, needs to be lifted.

The border needs to be secured, yes, but it will take much more than just a wall to do it. America’s entire immigration system is due for an overhaul.

What do you think?

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