An Open Letter to the Citizens of the United States
Dear Citizens of the United States,
In my English class we have been completing a project about writing a letter that is shared with the public. Through this project I have realized that it requires a lot to be persuasive and get people on your side. I wanted to write to you, specifically, because it’s your choice to disagree/agree with what I am sharing. Imagine, your an immigrant or someone planning to immigrate. You just want a better life, but people keep trying to prevent it from happening. You cry every night, wishing you had a better life, wishing you had more money to support your family. You ask yourself, When am I gonna eat today? Where am I going to sleep? Asking yourself tons of questions that you know you don’t have the answers to. Isn’t that sad? Yes it is. Immigrants/people in Mexico have to go through this type of thought process constantly.Based on my research, I argue that we should not support border patrol and the wall that Trump had built because the wall isn’t going to stop drug lords nor is it worth the cost and time.
To start, the wall isn’t going to stop immigrants from coming, especially drug lords. To give some context on this issue, Trump built a big wall against the border between California and Mexico. He built the wall to prevent immigrants from attempting to cross the border without papers. Also to stop drug smuggling from Mexico to the U.S. According to Mike Brest, a breaking news reporter for Washington Examiner, a news website. In his work titled “Smugglers are sawing through new parts of border wall “ the author states, “Mexican smugglers have cut through new portions of President Trump’s border wall along the southern border using a commercially available power saw. Using a popular cordless reciprocating saw that can be purchased at hardware stores for as little as $100, smugglers are creating openings large enough for people and drugs to pass through. They replace the blades on the saw, and it can cut through the wall’s bollards in minutes” (1).This information is significant because it shows how people are sawing through the fence, and they are still coming. Additionally, according to David Bier, in their work titled “Why The Wall Won’t Work”, “From 2007 to 2010, the Border Patrol found more than one tunnel per month, on average. “For every tunnel we find, we feel they’re building another one somewhere,” Kevin Hecht, a Border Patrol tunnel expert, told The New York Times last year. A wall would likely increase the rewards for successful tunneling as other modes of transit grow more expensive”. Will the drug lords stop? Will things still get smuggled? Will people still find ways? Yes, this will not stop them. This information is significant because it shows how although the wall is built, they are finding tunnels used for smuggling, so we clearly know the problem isn’t solved. Overall, this data shows that the wall hasn’t stopped drug/gun smuggling.
Furthermore, building a wall to stop immigrants isn’t worth the cost and time. Is it worth building a wall? Is it worth the time? Is it worth the money? To give some context on this issue Trump called for a wall to be built. Do you wonder how much money he spent? How many workers were building the wall? How the money could’ve been spent otherwise? According to Vanda Felbab-Brown in their work “The Wall”, “Although during the election campaign candidate Trump claimed that the wall would cost only $12 billion, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internal report in February put the cost at $21.6 billion, but that may be a major underestimate”. This means that he claimed it for be certain number, but it turned out to be almost double the amount, and that’s an underestimate. This information is significant because it shows how much money was spent on the wall that is so unnecessary and can be used for better things. Additionally, according to David Bier, in their work titled “Why The Wall Won’t Work”, “It would be 1,000 miles long. (The other 1,500, he said, were covered by “natural barriers.”) He gave various estimates of its height — between 30 and 50 feet, with the most common number being 35. His barrier would be an “impenetrable physical wall” composed of “precast [concrete] plank…30 feet long, 40 feet long.” He also insisted that it would be aesthetically pleasing”. This information is significant because it shows how big the wall is and what its made of. You’re really gonna spend your time on that? Overall, this data shows how building the wall isn’t worth the time and money
Some might argue, with the wall the amount of immigrants will decrease a lot. While this might be true, these immigrants impact our economy. They are fulfilling jobs that are on high demand so why would we want to get rid of that? Therefore, without immigrants, we wouldn’t be where we are. Think of this, half of the people that build and do things like that are Latin. Why would we want to have hatred towards them? They are drowning in a ocean of pain, trying to keep their head above water. They may not run America, but they make America run.
Therefore, I implore you to not support border patrol and the wall. This will make a difference because our voices will be heard and we will make change.
Thank you,
Jasmine Pennes
