Immigration has always been a controversial issue in almost every society. Consequently, the choices a society faces about whether to allow an influx of people into their surroundings results in many conclusions being made. The article “To Wall Or Not To Wall,” by Jonah Goldberg a conservative commentator, discusses whether the the United States should or shouldn't build a wall around its borders so as to prevent illegal immigration. The author expresses his indecision regarding whether we should do one or the other. Although building a wall is necessary if a majority of the public supports it, i believe not building a wall has more merits than building one upon a clear comparison of the two.
The author discusses both the positive …show more content…
Some statistics show that America is one of the most immigrant accepting countries in the world today. This is exemplified by a United Nations report in 2013 in which the United States ranks as number one in the best nations to immigrate to (Sprackin). This illustrates its willingness to accept foreigners from all over the world, and the also by the numbers of different ethnic and racial mixtures of immigrants in the United States. And therefore by building a wall, it places this positive perception of America globally in jeopardy, as some may perceive it as a country that is now anti immigrant. Another good point Goldberg makes is that liberals real motive is not the cost of the wall. While i believe that there really is a good number of those on the left who are concerned about the cost of building such a huge monument, my main opinion on the issue which outweighs that, is that liberals are more concerned about not alienating the growing number of the Hispanic population who most probably oppose building a wall. Figures released by the United States Census Bureau say that the hispanic population has reached a level high of almost fifty five and a half million (Krogstad and Lopez), making them the largest minority group in the country. And so, liberals realize the impact that these numbers will have on the electorate, and hence they …show more content…
Even more importantly, Americans are descendants of individuals who immigrated from many different nations in search of a better life. Therefore, proponents for the wall need to ask themselves if they would build a wall to limit their own ancestors from laying a foundation for what America is today. Thus, unless a majority of the public supports it, building a wall with the intention to prevent illegal immigration would be to go against the very reason Americans are here today. Instead, the United States can combat this issue, by working with impoverished Latin American countries, in an effort to educate their citizens of the dangers involved with crossing the border, which include coming to contact with drug cartels, severe weather conditions and many other dangers which at their worst result in death. This evidenced by a report in the Huffington Post, which says that in 2012 alone four hundred and seventy seven migrants died trying to cross the border (Planas). By tackling this issue at the heart of it, it gives America a better chance at solving illegal immigration than just building a wall which might even make these people more determined to get
The author discusses both the positive …show more content…
Some statistics show that America is one of the most immigrant accepting countries in the world today. This is exemplified by a United Nations report in 2013 in which the United States ranks as number one in the best nations to immigrate to (Sprackin). This illustrates its willingness to accept foreigners from all over the world, and the also by the numbers of different ethnic and racial mixtures of immigrants in the United States. And therefore by building a wall, it places this positive perception of America globally in jeopardy, as some may perceive it as a country that is now anti immigrant. Another good point Goldberg makes is that liberals real motive is not the cost of the wall. While i believe that there really is a good number of those on the left who are concerned about the cost of building such a huge monument, my main opinion on the issue which outweighs that, is that liberals are more concerned about not alienating the growing number of the Hispanic population who most probably oppose building a wall. Figures released by the United States Census Bureau say that the hispanic population has reached a level high of almost fifty five and a half million (Krogstad and Lopez), making them the largest minority group in the country. And so, liberals realize the impact that these numbers will have on the electorate, and hence they …show more content…
Even more importantly, Americans are descendants of individuals who immigrated from many different nations in search of a better life. Therefore, proponents for the wall need to ask themselves if they would build a wall to limit their own ancestors from laying a foundation for what America is today. Thus, unless a majority of the public supports it, building a wall with the intention to prevent illegal immigration would be to go against the very reason Americans are here today. Instead, the United States can combat this issue, by working with impoverished Latin American countries, in an effort to educate their citizens of the dangers involved with crossing the border, which include coming to contact with drug cartels, severe weather conditions and many other dangers which at their worst result in death. This evidenced by a report in the Huffington Post, which says that in 2012 alone four hundred and seventy seven migrants died trying to cross the border (Planas). By tackling this issue at the heart of it, it gives America a better chance at solving illegal immigration than just building a wall which might even make these people more determined to get