“The wall will not work”. Texas has already started building a border fence about 10 years ago.

It separated people from their own property, it deprived people of their land through the use of eminent domain, and in the end the problem of human smuggling drug was not solved.

The solution to the problem of drug smuggling, illegal immigration and the threat of cross border terrorism is clear, abolish the welfare magnet that attracts many to cross the border illegally, stop the 25 year US war in the Middle East, and end the drug war that incentivizes smugglers to cross the border.

A border is an imaginary line that draws a distinction between the people either side of it. The apparent existence of such lines allows people to point at the people on their side and say they're good, and claim that those on the other side are bad. Yes, that sounds simplistic, but it's the truth. When economic circumstances mean that people on one side are better off, it then supports attitudes of superiority on the part of the wealthier. It also means those poorer people are likely to want to make money in the wealthier country, to clean their pools and rear their children. (What does it say about a culture that it abuses people from a poorer neighbouring country as being stupid, slow, and superstitious, but at the same time wants them to be responsible for looking after the offspring of the wealthy?) Imaginary lines can create real problems. Look at the map of Africa - all those straight lines are the result of maps being drawn up by white people, and they're straight because they pay no attention to the hisotry, geography, and culture of the areas they cut through. Nigeria got its name from someone who wrote a letter suggesting it to The Times. These arbitrary decisions - about lines, about names - serve to separate us. And separation only ever serves the interests of the powerful. So, naive though it may appear, I'd suggest doing away with plans for the US-Mexican wall, which risks being a costly farce and an embarrassment to future generations.

The border between the United States and Mexico is the busiest land border in the world and one of the longest, covering more than 1,950 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Four U.S. States (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) and six Mexican ones (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas) have territory along it. The Rio Grande, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico, accounts for some 1,240 of those miles, while the land boundary cuts through terrain running the gamut from desert to mountains.

As of 2014, 653 miles of this border has been fenced at a cost of about $7 billion. A few dozen miles are reinforced with secondary and tertiary fencing. About half of the fencing is designed to prevent pedestrians from crossing through, while the other half just blocks vehicles. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that the pedestrian fencing cost an average of $6.5 million per mile, and the vehicle fencing $1.7 million per mile.

Border wall construction slowed to a halt in recent years, due in no small part to a slew of obstacles to its construction. But border-wall chatter is spiking during the 2016 U.S. presidential race, with Republican nominee Donald Trump’s proposal to build a full wall along the southern border serving as a cornerstone of his candidacy.

AS/COA Online takes a look at what’s been built so far and what stands in the way of future construction.

I agree with you illegal immigrants are coming to this country to suck us dry. Thank God somebdoy finally admitted the truth. If we got rid of welfare we could get rid of a lot of problems. I understand that there are many people who must be on welfare to survive, but I have some family members who use and abuse the system. You offer them a truck driving job that will pay them 20% more than what they are getting on welfare, and they say no way, why would I do that when I do not even have to work? I agree we have been the policeman of the world for way too long, but we need to finish it quickly and completly. However, I believe we need to continue to fight the drug epidemic in America. Many precious people are dying of overdoses, and if we could get rid of the immigration problem we could get rid of the drug problem in a lot of areas.