Martin H. Levinson
Guesses at the total cost of President Trump’s border wall vary. Trump said it would cost $8 billion, then $10 billion, then $12 billion.
The MIT Technology Review in October retorted “fat chance” and called out Trump for his “bad math,” placing the actual figure at $27 billion to $40 billion for 1,000 miles.
The Mexican government has said quite plainly that Mexico is not going to pay for the wall.
Is Trump’s mania about erecting a hugely expensive barrier on our southern border a good idea?
I don’t think so. In point of fact, illegal immigration from Mexico has vastly declined in the last decade (the Pew Hispanic Center reports it is now less than zero).
And Mexico has been cooperating with the U.S. government in keeping out Central and South American immigrants from entering the country (something that very likely won’t happen if the wall gets built).
Instead of constructing a high-priced concrete barricade to secure the border, many experts say that job can be more cheaply done through beefed up enforcement and technology.
The money saved from these approaches could go toward repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
Fixing deteriorating bridges, dams, roads, and tunnels is a far better use of federal funds than building a costly and unneeded wall.
Martin H. Levinson, Ph.D
Forest Hills
