Build the wall, President Trump

To the editor:

When I first learned of the proposal to build a wall on the southern border of the United States, it seemed an insult to our Mexican neighbors, and a costly idea as well.

Later on, news of the death of 10 persons, and the near-suffocation of others — all of whom were stuffed into the back of a truck in an attempt to enter the United States — created a very painful image.

So too were the frequent reports of persons dying in the desert along the southern border states and the “jackals” often aided and abetted by lawless border guards robbing those they were escorting across the border and worse, raping women and young girls, often forcing them into prostitution. There are others who further exploited the illegal immigrants into low-wage employment. 

So, I say to President Trump, “Build that wall.” 

Before one should charge that I compromised my liberal credentials, I ask that my other political positions be considered. Namely, I favor a more generous immigration policy, an amnesty program that provides a path to citizenship, and which immediately grants an easy path to DACA Dreamers.

How can one accuse young children of acting illegally when, as children, they were brought or sent to our country?

As a less urgent issue, building a wall would provide jobs. Yes, it would cost a few billion dollars. 

But with the national debt of $19.2 trillion, the cost of the wall would be trivial compared to the social justice benefits.

Furthermore, our southern border is a failed sieve that does not prevent the passage into our nation of illegal narcotics causing a burden to our courts, crowded prisons, and tens of thousands of deaths yearly.

Theodore Fettman