The Wall is not a National Emergency

Troy Brinkel’ 20, Sports Editor

In late 2018, President Trump decided to shut down the government until he received money for his national emergency at the Mexican border. This decision caused the longest government shutdown ever and was finally ended by a group of air traffic control pilots who went on strike. However, the President still would not give up as he declared the southern border an official national emergency.

Past presidents have used their powers to declare a national emergency following natural disasters or terrorist attacks. George W. Bush declared a national emergency after 9/11. Others have used national emergencies to limit business dealings with other countries. Barack Obama used one in 2009 during the swine flu epidemic. It is not hard to understand that southern border immigration is not a natural disaster.

The president has claimed the border is being raided and crossed by what he calls “Drug dealers, Criminals, and rapists.” Moving past the fact that the US president just called Hispanics Drug dealers, criminals, and rapists, arrests for illegal border crossing hit a 46- year low in 2017. No this is not “fake news” A.K.A. anything that goes against the president; this fact was provided by the National Public Radio: a government organization.

Trump often used Israel as an example of the effectiveness of a wall along a border. This is true; the Israeli- West Bank barrier has been very effective along its 440-mile long border. Four hundred and forty-four miles; how large is the Mexican- American border? Over four and a half times the size of the Israeli- West Bank barrier. Not only would this concrete wall look ugly, but it would also be impossible to guard.

Photo courtesy of The Daily Beast