DL's Link
Your fav poster's Link
The CBO has concluded that in the long run illegal immigrants pay more taxes than services rendered.
I have a friend who lives in a SH%t hole neighborhood which is primarily Hispanic and very few of them appear to work (regularly) and despite this their garbage cans look like its Christmas every week with big screen, new appliance boxes, etc and with new trucks in the driveway.
I don't believe any study that says low wage earners of any kind, legal or not bolster our tax base.
In light of this, I still think "the Wall" is not the best use of resources to combat the problem right now. I think it's a good idea to build it, I just would do other things 1st. I asked my landscaper friend how all his illegals got here and he said 100% of them were from overstaying visas. Sure some do cross the border, but I don't think it's the bulk of the problem. Likewise drugs certainly cross on people coming across, but the VAST majority are just smuggled in through other freight by traditional means and are undetected.
slade's Link
Next...
ben h's Link
Here's an excerpt from a 2017 DEA report saying just that:
Drug Smuggling and Transportation Methods: Mexican TCOs transport the majority of illicit drugs into the United States across the SWB using a wide array of smuggling techniques. The most common method employed by these TCOs involves transporting illicit drugs through U.S. ports of entry (POEs) in passenger vehicles with concealed compartments or commingled with legitimate goods on tractor trailers. Additionally, Mexican TCOs transport illicit drugs, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, dissolved in liquid solutions, across the SWB. Once across the border, Mexican TCOs coordinate for illicit drug shipments to be divided into smaller shipments and sent to distribution points throughout the United States.
See link for the full report; I didn't read it entirely.
The POE confiscations will never be reported to their actual values. The percentages confiscated are withheld and moved forward to fill in a future low percentage that may arise which then suppresses the graph to basically mimic a flat line to arrive ata taer over year average. Drugs that go undetected obviously do not impact this chart.
Drugs that enter illegally through the sieve of the border dwarfs the POE because the sheer volume of a single successful penetration dwarfs the confiscated product that are captured at the border. You don't believe and think the the criminals minds know mathematics? The loss at the POE is considered collateral damage and is a offering as in sacrifice for the better good. They KNOW the percentages of failure going POE. The Cartels are incredibly witty, wise, technologically proficient and a high polished adversary. These are not your run of the mill drug dealers. They know business and the bottom line as in all CEO'S is all that matters.
The Rock
Matt
But no plan. Just obstruct and resist the GOP plan. And send taxpayer money overseas to their pals in Palestine and Iran. Sheeesh.
BowSniper's Link
Remember, the drug shipments captured at sea or at vehicle searches at the Mexican border are what we CATCH. Our forces are tied up chasing migrants around the desert at 60,000 a month. How many more get through? You don't think the cartel exploits this to smuggle drugs across??
THINK for yourself. Turn off CNN/MSNBC
BowSniper's Link
Interactive map from border patrol showing seizures, locations, and type. Millions of pounds, so yeah... some would call that 'tons'. Stop this fake 'manufactured crisis' at the border talk and this misdirection to the sea (with no plan for that either)
GG - that coast Guard guy downplaying concerns about the Mexican border. What TV channel were you watching at the time?? Honestly....
Woods Walker's Link
The link here is from a study on this subject by the NEA of all organizations! And all the solutions they propose will cost even MORE.
Fact is, we've never had an immigrant group this large composed of people who won't/can't learn the language of the nation that THEY CHOSE to migrate to! In some ways you can't blame them because they are also the only immigrant group that is being enabled to NOT learn our language. Stores that have bilingual signs, VOTING MATERIALS(!!!!!!!!) and other government documents in Spanish, and other catering to their inadequacies only promote and encourage this.
"You're as lazy as you can afford to be."
A few weeks ago I was driving through a town here, Carpentersville, on the east side, which is predominantly latino. I went past a PUBLIC elementary school which had a sign in front with a message on it about the Christmas Holiday that was in SPANISH ONLY!!!!! And people wonder why they can'/won't speak English!
It was NPR radio where I heard the Coast Guard Commandant interview. And, yeah, I considered the platform he spoke from, but I also considered who he was, his experiences and knowledge that surely goes beyond any of ours here, and how he presented the info. He was very believable to me, and clearly didn't show any political bias in his comments. In fact, he was respectful towards Trump, as I would expect from any former Commandant, but not so much towards our federal government as a whole.
His basic point was, if drug flow is a primary concern, then we should focus our attention on the gusher first, not the trickle. He made a lot of sense to me. I wish I could find a copy of the interview for the rest of you to comment on, but I haven't so far.
Matt
So if you a really concerned about a shit-ton of illegal drugs coming into the country and killing our children (not just to be contrarian about all things Trump) then either get on board with a wall to fix one problem, or create a solution to the other problem by sea.
Because we have to start actually solving problems. And not just point at the "other" one.
bigeasygator's Link
What border patrol report are you referencing? I don’t see it in any of the links.
Looking at the interactive map you posted (which ends in 2005), I don’t see numbers anywhere close to what was interdicted and seized at sea. 2015 shows that CBP seizes 11,000 pounds of cocaine across our borders (land and sea). Compare that with the 500,000 pounds of cocaine seized by the Coast Guard in each of the last two years (see attached link) and I think Matt has a pretty valid point.
The Coast Guard Commandant I mentioned talked about the whole "push out our borders strategy" too, and how effective it could be if they had more resources. Cut the head off the snake....
Matt
Too many drugs come across the southern border. Millions of pounds. Along with weapons, gang members, disease, and literally millions of illegal migrants. We can almost stop it entirely with a serious wall.
If there is some other danger/problem of similar scope that you can fix with just 25b, I am all ears.
If every state would just legalize marijuana then it won’t be millions of pounds coming across the southern border.
In 2015 of the 1.55 million pounds of drugs seized at the southern border, 1.53 million of it was marijuana.
Guess it’s the Libertarian in me coming out, but I just don’t feel like we need to fight an expensive war on marijuana.
X2!
IMO the drugs are ONE of the issues. Even if the drugs were no issue at all we STILL need to secure our border and not let this country be inhabited by people with no regard for our laws. That's national suicide.
We need to make it clear that overstaying will not be tolerated. A second offense is permanent. Fist offense is a fine.
Maybe that is why some are against the wall. Because it is one solid measure in a series of steps, to stop the economic drain on our country.
gflight's Link
gflight's Link