David DePape, illegal immigrant from Canada

@Heartlander Whenever I see border agents interviewed on TV news, they invariably are Latino. It also seems like the mayors (and now a growing number of congressmen/women) from these areas are Latino. Finally, is it true that border agents are apprehending people for nearly 65 different countries?

We all depend on new immigrants and new citizens bringing their skills and work ethic to the U.S. But that can be done in a lawful, organized way that benefits everyone.

My thoughts, anyway.

@Heartlander I returned from the Rio Grande valley a few days ago. Checkpoints are not rare and can be set up within a hundred miles from the border.

@Crazywaterspring Yes, the locals refer to the one on I-35 as "Checkpoint Charlie". A reference to Berlin's old checkpoint Charlie that separated East and West Berlin during the Cold War.

As I understand the rules, the Border Patrol has free passage to private property for a distance of something like 20 miles without need of a court order or search warrant. One inch beyond and all the constitutional amendments for the property owners apply.

We did the US-83/281 (the Zapata Highway) drive from Laredo to SPI just a few years ago, and with blimps overhead and patrol boats dashing up and down the river and Border Patrol SUVs it did resemble old Iron curtain.

@LeeInTheNorthWoods There's a very distinctive border culture ("One River-One People"), much like there's a very distinctive New York City culture and a Boston Culture.

The Texas border area is very different from the California border area. Historically, Texas tends to treat its border as one of its greatest assets. For California on the other hand, it's more of a nuisance. Not in all cases, but in general.

There's a great line in one of those "Selena" movies where the dad says something to the effect "We don't speak Spanish good enough to be Mexicans and we don't speak English good enough to be Americans."

The illegals crossing the Mexican border seem to come from as far away as the Dominican Republic; suggesting that there is an entire industry funneling people to our Mexican border. You'd think there would be news reporters digging deep into the roots of why they come and who is doing all the reporting? But?

@Heartlander Most of the studies I have read say that most of the smuggling and illegal immigration come through established ports of entry. Having done considerable work in remote areas near the southern border, I 100% agree with that conclusion. When I am there, I am NEVER out of sight from a border patrol agent. Smuggling drugs/people across the desert would be quite difficult. A wall would do nothing except provide a false sense of security. My gut tells me there are folks in our own border security who take bribes.

@trollslayer Yea, a $1,500 drone could probably fly enough Fentanyl across the border to kill us all. I think the wall was about slowing down human trafficking and illegal crossing. I have mixed feelings about it, one being that it divides a common culture, much like the Berlin wall did. But, no one seemed to be doing anything to slow the invasion.

What's missing in the discussion are the root causes and the incentives; and as important, who is providing the wherewithal. Like when Great Britan was being bombed during the Battle of Britan, it wasn't enough to just try to shoot down the bombers overhead, someone had to go see where those planes were coming from, and how those planes were being supplied and move the struggle from overhead to there.

From everything I understand, circumstances are far worse in central America than in Mexico. Local churches and a nearby medical school routinely have sent medical and dental missions to remote areas and some years they had to cancel because of the safety risk. But even at the border here, friends that have business dealings on both sides have to employ security guards to accompany their trips into Mexico.

@Heartlander I expect the vast majority of people realizes there are powerful and sophisticated cartels behind the transport of millions of illegal/undocumented/unverified (choose your own adjective) immigrants across the southern U.S. border. Some news organizations have quoted U.S. government officials as speculating the cartels currently make more money moving people into the U.S. than drugs.

Texas and Arizona have thriving economies, so it's not surprising migrants hit their borders versus California.

Even the most left-leaning news organizations (except CNN and PBS) show video of people streaming into remote areas of Texas and Arizona. It's not difficult to find interviews with border agents, mayors of border town and congressmen/women (often Latina themselves) bemoaning Biden administration policies that have resulted in this immense increase in people coming across our southern border.

@Heartlander Exactly. It is a complete lie to say that just because Democrats are against a wall, that they are for "open borders" and "illegal immigration"

For awhile, my car kept losing 1 of 6 bolts that went between the engine and transmission. I would notice it missing, then put a new one in. It would last maybe 3 months, and it would fall out again and I would again put in a new one. I suppose I could have gone on like this, putting in new bolts every few months. But instead I took the time to figure out why the bolts kept falling out. Turns out an alignment pin was not seated all the way making it impossible to completely tighten the problem bolt. Once I discovered the problem, the fix was simple and I never lost a bolt again.

Just like replacing the bolt, you can build a wall on the border and it will slow the problem for awhile. Then, the smugglers adapt and you have to "patch the leaks". And then the smugglers adapt, and so on. Republicans seem to be okay with simply building bigger and bigger walls and blaming those crossing or smuggling for the problems. Democrats seem more interested in figuring out why some many people are trying to cross or smuggle in the first place and finding solutions there.

A basic fact is that if life was good where people are coming from, they would not want to come here. And considering that the vast majority are coming from countries south of Mexico, perhaps Mexico would be interested in helping with the problem. Another basic fact is that people would not be running fentanyl across the border if there was no demand here. Republicans would rather blame other countries or border security policies than look in the mirror and see that our real problem is that too many US citizens are addicted to opiates. Of course, they won't hold doctors or drug companies responsible...

I have lived in a border state for 40 years. In that time things have been pretty much the same. the "border crisis" that the GOP crows about these days is another dog whistle for the same problem that has been going on for decades. Both parties bear responsibility, as do the citizens of the USA.

@LeeInTheNorthWoods


Mostly what we hear about them is when the police discover their suffocated throw-aways in an abandoned tractor trailer. For the millions that go through processing by INS, DEA and the Border patrol you'd think we'd know more about who is collecting the money, arranging the transportation, paying off the police, etc;

@Heartlander You'd think we'd know more, or have some plan to work with other countries' governments. Such a sad and scary situation.

@Heartlander We were searched. There was nothing to be found. I and my partner travel with our US passports whenever we go near the border.

Conditions are bad in Latin America largely due to US policies such as the "War on Drugs®" and free trade killing local farming.

@Crazywaterspring Many of those checkpoints have been up for long as I can remember. 25 ... 30+ years? Some locals take serious offense to them, as do farmers and ranchers who aren't given the courtesy of of being asked before the BP tramples their property.

As things went from bad to worse at the border, nothing marked that passage better than the closing of the old Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo. The Cadillac Bar was like a historical marker, an institution that dated back to the US prohibition days.