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Bria Bush

Hosuk Lee

Introduction to Human Geography (GEOG 1101)

April 17, 2017

Illegal Immigration in the United States: a Real Problem with a Real Solution and What

Can Be Learned from Israel's Response

The KPBS News segment Crossing the Line: Border Stories calls them unauthorized

immigrants, (KPBS News) advocacy group Workplace Fairness calls them undocumented

immigrant workers, (Workplace Fairness) and the Wall Street Journal and the Department of

Homeland Defense refer to them as visa overstays. (Meckler) Whatever the euphemism may

be, these people all have one label in common; that is, illegal immigrant or, more simply,

criminal. Purely by definition alone, an unauthorized, undocumented or overstayer are

all illegal. They are all criminals. One must ask, Why should they be allowed to break the law,

but we, American citizens or legal immigrants, are not? This question leads us, naturally, to the

crux of the issue; that is, how can illegal immigration be stopped or, at the very least,

dramatically curbed?

1. CONTEXT AND THE FINANCIAL BURDEN TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER

According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 11 million immigrants are illegally

present in the United States with about 8 million of them, or 71 percent of the total illegal

population, being born in Mexico or other Central American countries. Of those 8 million, 56

percent were born in Mexico. Of course, it is nearly impossible to gather accurate data due to the
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very nature of being undocumented. These numbers are merely estimates and are, most likely,

much higher. (Zong and Batalova)

If these figures are not staggering enough, a majority of illegal immigrants do not pay any

income tax. For those who do, much of the monies collected are refunded to the them when they

file returns. Most also claim tax credits which results in disbursements from the IRS. Illegal

immigration costs taxpayers approximately $113 billion a year at the federal, state, and local

level. The majority of the costs some $84 billion are paid for by state and local

governments. Education for the children of illegal immigrants comprises the single largest cost to

taxpayers, with a yearly price tag of almost $52 billion. State and local governments absorb

nearly all those costs. At the federal level, about one-third of expenses are matched by tax

collections from illegal immigrants. At the state and local level, an average of less than 5 percent

of the taxpayers costs related to illegal immigration is recuperated through taxes collected from

those same illegal immigrants. (The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States

Taxpayers)

Suffice it to say, the continued handouts given to noncitizens in the United States illegally

is fiscally, and more importantly, culturally, unsustainable. The very American way of life is in

jeopardy here. Especially when one considers that citizens, as of the last, official count, by the

National Alliance to End Homelessness, estimated that 564,708 people experience homelessness

on any given night in the United States of which 9 percent are veterans (Fact Sheet: Veteran

Homelessness), and 34 percent are under 24 years of age. (Henry et al.) This is but a single

problem facing the U.S. with which a well-funded, multifaceted approach could address and

possibly drastically reduce if illegal immigration were curbed and a paltry amount of money, by

comparison, were reallocated.

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2. ONE OF SEVERAL REMEDIES TO A MANY-SIDED, AND PROBLEMATIC, ISSUE

All of this begs the question, What can be done to stop illegal immigration from Mexico and

Central America? The answer is not a simple one. The fact is that there is no panacea or cure-all

to this disease. Many things can and should be done. One of those is such a basic concept that it

has been around for thousands of years: a wall.

Now, will a wall built along the U.S./Mexico border stop all illegal immigration? Of

course not and this author is unaware of any informed person in favor of a border wall who

claims anything to that effect. A border wall, such advocates do assert, though, would drastically

reduce illegal immigration and help in alleviating an enormous fiscal burden on the federal, state,

and local governments. Facts, figures, history, and a little common sense back up that assertion.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and

Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report this month titled, Securing Israel: Lessons

Learned From A Nation Under Constant Threat Of Attack [sic], describing measures that Israel

has taken to secure its borders. This report highlights Israel being bordered by antagonists on all

sides. Securing its borders is a matter of life and death. As recently as the beginning of this year,

the reality of this threat was made clear when a Palestinian terrorist drove a truck into a group of

Israeli soldiers killing four and wounding fifteen.

The report describes how Israel protects its borders through well-planned fencing and

other strategic substructure, technology, and manpower. The report emphasizes the

characteristics of the fencing Israel has constructed to secure itself, specifically along the 150-

mile border it shares with Egypt.

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3. BUILD THAT WALL NOT THE ONLY CHANT NEEDED

But that astounding decrease in illegal border crossing wasnt accomplished by a wall alone.

"While the numbers show a dramatic decrease in the number of entries, the amount of credit

attributed to the fence is an issue of serious debate in Israel," said Yonatan Jakubowicz, Director

of Research and Public Relations at the Israeli Immigration Policy Center, a non-government

organization in Israel. (Valverde)

In addition to the border wall, Israel has also taken substantial steps to protect its air,

land, and sea ports, excelling at allowing people and cargo in while keeping threats out. Israels

Ben Gurion International Airport has become one of the most secure airports in the world, with

controls in place to check all passengers entering the airport through air, rail, and car.

The report additionally discusses Israels approach to cyber security, of which they have

become a leader and are an important ally with the United States. Their approach to

cybersecurity is all-encompassing. Its experiences provide lessons for the U.S. as our nation

continues to study how best to address cyber threats.

Just like Israel, in addition to a wall along the U.S./Mexico border, significant investment

in technology such as drones, robots, and sensors will also be crucial for our border security.

(Valverde) This many-pronged approach to the border wall has contributed to the plummeting

number of illegal border crossers on the Israel-Egypt border. This figure, which dropped after the

construction of the fence, went from more than 16,000 in 2011 to less than twenty in 2016 a

99 percent decrease. (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)

Much the same reaction to U.S. President Trumps recent executive order to build a

border wall was also had by some Israeli leaders who were skeptical about the fences potential
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efficacy when the idea was first announced in 2009, but the wall received much wider support

after a terrorist attack on the border in August 2011.

4. THE WALLS PLUS ONE ARE EFFECTIVE, AND CONSISTENTLY ENFORCED, LAWS

Jakubowicz points out that, aside from the fence, additional policies have reduced illegal

immigration to Israel. Such policies include the adoption of an amendment to the 1954

Prevention of Infiltration Law which allows those caught illegally entering Israel to be detained

for up to three years. The number of those illegally crossing Israels southern border decreased

after the amendment to the law went into effect, even though the fence was not fully completed.

However, Jakubowicz is quick to note that the fact that people continued to arrive even

after the total completion of the fence, with fluctuations, proves that a barrier makes illegal

migration more difficult, but not impossible. (Valverde)

Jakubowiczs position on the border wall is, much to the disappointment of advocates for

some form of amnesty for illegal immigrants already present in the U.S. or against a border wall

in part or entirety, the position of most all those who support the building of a wall on the

U.S./Mexico border. The fact that a wall alone no more protects a country from illegal

immigrants than a screen door protects one from a tiger is not lost on border wall proponents,

either. Wall supporters have always pointed out that real border security must be all-

encompassing and involve securing all points of entry; land, sea, air and cyber threats must be

addressed in concert with one another.

5. OBJECTIONS TO A BORDER WALL AND REFUTATIONS

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As with any hot-button issue in America, the building of a border wall brings its fair share of

objections; some more worthy of a response than others. Two of these complaints worthy of

response surround illegal entry at points other than the border and the steep costs of building a

physical wall.

5.1 Not All Illegal Immigrants Come through the U.S./Mexico Border. Jon Greenburg, writing for

PolitiFact, along with other critics, likes to say that it's estimatedbetween 27 and 40 percent

of all undocumented immigrants came here on planes. (Greenburg) This appears to be a go-to

argument against building a wall, but it is self-defeating at best. Even with the most conservative

estimate, that would mean 60 percent of illegal immigrants did not come into the country by

plane. If we could reduce non-plane-related illegal immigration by 60 percent, this author

considers that an enormous success and more than enough reason to build a border wall in

addition to securing other points of entry. Imagine, if you will if the murder rate in America

could be reduced by 60 percent. Would anyone object to such a reduction?

5.2 How Much Would Building a Wall Cost? Is It Worth It? An internal report from the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security estimates that a border wall would cost as much as $21.6

billion, and take more than three years to construct. (Ainsley) This one-time cost to build a

border wall is dwarfed by the $113 billion spent yearly on illegal immigration by federal, state,

and local governments.

And when compared to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for example, the Congressional

Budget Office estimates that the federal government will spend $1.34 trillion on the ACA over

the next decade, if its not repealed. 2016s ACA spending was estimated at $110 billion. (Close)
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These are just two examples of the monetary benefits of a border wall and, as one can clearly

see, a border fence would cost little, in comparison, to build and save billions of dollars in the

long run.

6. CONCLUSION

While it was not the intent of this paper to address all, or even many, of the issues surrounding

illegal immigration to the United States, this author believes that some of the most important

considerations have been addressed along with objections and refutations of those objections.

The bottom line, as with most issues of such import, is that all sides of the aisle must be willing

to work together for the betterment and security of the U.S. and come to real solutions that will

have a practical and tangible effect on the issue at hand. Emotional rhetoric has no place in

public policy. One must rely on logic and facts.

Word count (not including works cited): 1866

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Works Cited

Ainsley, Julia Edwards. Exclusive - Trump Border wall to Cost $21.6 Billion, Take 3.5 Years

to Build: Internal Report. Reuters, 9 Feb. 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-

trump-immigration-wall-exclusive-idUSKBN15O2ZN. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Close, Kerry. Heres How Many Billions Obamacare Will Cost in 2016. Time, Inc., 24 Mar.

2016, https://time.com/money/4271224/obamacare-cost-taxpayers-2016/. Accessed 20

Feb. 2017.

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Securing Israel: Lessons Learned

From A Nation Under Constant Threat Of Attack. 1 Feb. 2017.

Fact Sheet: Veteran Homelessness. 2017, http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/fact-

sheet-veteran-homelessness. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

Granath, Bob. NASA Budget Unveiled for Fiscal Year 2016. NASA, 11 Mar. 2015,

http://www.nasa.gov/content/reach-for-new-heights-nasa-budget-unveiled-for-fiscal-

year-2016. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Greenburg, Jon. Ramos: 40% of Undocumented Immigrants Come by Air. PolitiFact, 2015,

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2015/sep/08/jorge-ramos/ramos-40-

undocumented-immigrants-come-air/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Henry, Meghan, et al. The 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Oct. 2014.

KPBS News. Crossing the Line: Border Stories. YouTube, 26 July 2010,

http://youtu.be/1PaWiYOH8O0. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

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Meckler, Laura. U.S. Struggles to Nab Visitors Who Overstay. wsj.com, 18 Feb. 2013,

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323764804578312330678211000.

Accessed 17 Feb. 2017.

The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers (2013).

http://www.fairus.org/publications/the-fiscal-burden-of-illegal-immigration-on-united-

states-taxpayers. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

Valverde, Miriam. GOP Senator Says Israel Border Fence Cut Illegal Immigration. PolitiFact,

13 Feb. 2017, http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/feb/13/ron-

johnson/border-fence-israel-cut-illegal-immigration-99-per/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Workplace Fairness. Undocumented Workers.

http://www.workplacefairness.org/sc/undocumentedworkers.php. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

Zong, Jie, and Jeanne Batalova. Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration

in the United States. migrationpolicy.org, 26 May 2016,

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-

immigration-united-states#UnauthorizedImmigrants. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.