I'm with Krauthammer on this, first put up a wall and seal the borders. Then we'll deal with the 11 million illegal immigrants here. The last major immigration reform bill was in 1986, and at the time there were an estimated 3 million illegal immigrants, who were granted permanent residency. Twenty years later, our borders are no more secure, and we've attracted another 11 million illegals. Granting amnesty without securing the borders will only attract more waves of illegals. In the post-September 11th world, porous borders are not acceptable.
The March 2005 Atlantic Monthly listed eleven modern security fences found around the world, "aimed at repelling invaders - whether terrorists, guerillas or immigrants":
- North Korea/South Korea - 151 miles
- Belfast, Northern Ireland - 13 miles
- Cyprus - 112 miles
- Morocco/Western Sahara - 1,500 miles
- India/Bangladesh - over 2,000 miles
- India/Pakistan - 700 miles, eventually to run 1,800 miles
- Kuwait/Iraq - 120 miles, 135 miles to be added
- United States/Mexico (surprised?) - 70 miles, built under Clinton
- Israel/West Bank - the only fence criticized by much of the world - to run 400 miles
- Botswana/Zimbabwe - 300 miles
- Saudi Arabia/Yemen - distance not known
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