Fencing in America's Insecurity

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/04/opinion/edborder.php

I. Citation
Fencing in America’s Insecurity
International Herald Tribune
March 4, 2008

II. Summary
This article discusses the immigration problem in the United States. The United States allows many people to immigrate legally as well as illegally across the border. The Department of Homeland Security has made an ineffective attempt to minimize illegal immigration by utilizing fencing and sensors, over areas that are too vast for the security system to be effective. This however is not the real issue; the issue is to make illegal immigration unfavorable and difficult to people from other countries, thereby diminishing the interest to enter the United States illegally. This could be done by more stringent laws regarding people being paid off the books and the supply of visas.

III. Reactions
a) Interaction between humans and the environment is the theme of this article. The reason for this theme is that people are immigrating to the United States and interacting with other people within illegal terms.
b) Immigration has been a public issue since the 1800s when people started to come over to the United States to free themselves from their hardships which included crop failure, job shortages, famine, and rising taxes. People came for economic opportunity back then and are still coming for the same reason now.
c) The author of this article is an insider because he strongly opposes illegal immigration. He argues that legalizing immigration with restriction is itself enforcing immigration reform. He as an insider is tired of people working in the United States illegally and wasting billions of federal dollars building fences to prevent illegal immigration.
d) His point of view is extremely opinionated. He does not state the other side of the situation. He focuses on the negative aspects of the immigration controversy. There are no positive impacts of illegal immigration mentioned in the article.
e) The point of view that is missing in this article is that of the immigrant himself. The immigrant can state why he is so driven to come over to the United States and why he wouldn’t proceed by getting the appropriate visa required.
f) I agree with the author because his opinion has validated by persuasive facts. I feel that people who are immigrating here illegally are taking jobs away from the American people. They are not contributing to the federal government through paying taxes and therefore the illegal immigrants are hurting the United States. I agree that the funds given to the Department of Homeland Security would be better utilized capturing drug smugglers who come over the borders to keep illegal drugs out of our country and away from teens.