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Building a wall

Undocumented immigrants from Mexico has been a talking point in America for a long time. The common rhetoric is that undocumented migrants steal jobs, don't pay taxes, and bring crime. Last year Donald Trump, a businessman running for president, when talking about undocumented Mexicans said "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." In addition a key point of his political agenda is constructing a wall on the United States/Mexico border in an attempt to further crack down on immigration.

While Trump isn't the kind of person most people would take seriously he is the current Republican presidential front runner, so clearly there are some people taking him seriously. Not only that but in the past congress and the president has supported such laws as building fences, increasing boarder patrol, creating harsher immigration restrictions and punishment for violation of those laws. But the question must be asked is undocumented Mexican workers really the big problem we make them out to be? Are they all criminals and here to cause trouble.

Cracking down makes things worse

Surprising as it might be harsher immigration patrol and restrictions actually cause there to be more undocumented immigrants staying for longer. Many of these people are migrant workers, coming here for jobs to help support their families at home in Mexico. Now if they know that it is only getting harder and harder to get back into the United States they are much less likely to head back to Mexico even when jobs dry up, which is what they would normally do. So increased restrictions create a higher number with a longer retention than if laws had been less restricted.

Harsher restrictions also lead to Mexicans workers dodging legal routes of getting into the United States due to the difficultly. The real solution is making it easier for them to get into the country legally thereby allowing more people easy access to jobs to contribute to the U.S. economy and paying taxes to the United States. While this doesn't withhold the criminals coming into the United States it's important to note neither do the walls, "building a 30 foot wall just creates a market for a 30 foot ladder".