5 Reasons Why the Border Wall IS a Moral Issue

By 

Wesley Smith

|
December 20, 2018

5 min read

National Security

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In a recent interview, Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive incoming Speaker of the House, called the concept of a border wall immoral.  Calling the wall expensive and ineffective, she doubled down on the subject, elevating opposition to the proposed wall to the level of existential right and wrong, a moral absolute.  Of course, she co-opts this important topic for blatant political purposes. Her loathing of President Trump obviously outweighs her sense of obligation to secure the country and provide safety for its citizens.

However, she is quite correct that the wall is a moral issue.  In fact, it is unconscionable and immoral to NOT have a strong border wall.

Building the wall, to an open-minded, fair-thinking person, should be the most compassionate, sensible and moral thing our nation could do in addressing concerns over our southern border.  Here are five reasons why:

  1. Building a strong border boundary would allow more people from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to staff the designated ports of entry, so as to process more quickly and efficiently those seeking asylum, as well as those hoping to find jobs in America.  As it is today, thousands of personnel from CBP and the Department of Homeland Security have to patrol our very long, open and porous border with Mexico.  Democrats, Republicans and others rightly bemoan the plight of desperate people seeking freedom and safety in America.  Why would one not want to enable more of these people to have their cases resolved expeditiously?

  2. By having an effective, permanent wall, the government could actually increase the number and locations of designated ports of entry, again allowing more people to be processed in a timely manner.  By stopping illegal entry into the country where there is no barrier, those with nefarious reasons to enter would more likely forego an attempted entry, allowing for those with legitimate and understandable reasons to come here and to be granted entrance more quickly.

  3. The flow of illegal drugs across the border is both a moral issue and a matter of life and death.  Millions of people in the United States are victims of drug addiction and death due to the relative ease with which drug cartels move drugs and cash back and forth over the border.  While some drug smugglers are caught trying to enter at a port of entry, many simply walk or drive across where there is no barrier.

  4. Human traffickers routinely transport people across the border.  Many of their victims end up in the sex trade or in forced-labor situations.  Most of them are minors.  Desperate and trusting parents in Mexico and Central America often pay thousands of dollars to these traffickers, hoping to secure a better life for their children in America—only to have this happen.  Traffickers also take advantage of runaway or orphaned children.  This is a blight on our nation’s soul and a human tragedy that is repeated virtually every day.  What kind of misguided thinking would not see this as an enormous moral issue?  Based on this alone, a border wall to stop this victimization of innocent people is a moral imperative.  As serious as the matter of drug-smuggling is, human smuggling is even more stark and gut-wrenching.  Even if this were the only reason to have a strong border—it would be sufficient to justify such an undertaking.

  5. Finally, if one believes our government has a moral obligation to protect its citizens, the national security implications for border security are indicative of the need for a border wall.  Hundreds of illegal immigrants apprehended at our southern border each year are not from Central or South America, but rather are from the Middle East and Africa.  After the events of 9/11, one of the findings of the investigation following the attacks was that the United States had a “failure of imagination.”  We simply did not imagine the lengths our enemies would go to attack our nation.  We could not grasp the idea that they would be so creative as to thwart our transportation system and use planes full of people as guided missiles.  What are we overlooking at our southern border? What people, and with what weapons, would exploit our porous and ineffective border to plan and launch another devastating attack on the homeland?

    Once a major attack occurs due to lax border security, our nation’s leaders will go into reactionary mode, as they did after 9/11.  It is a shame that people could die before Congress will do their jobs and secure the border.

The political gamesmanship by the Left in our country over the border wall is inexcusable.  Many of them do not want to solve this issue, including comprehensive immigration reform, because if they resolve the matter, they lose one of their political tools and talking points.  It belies the compassion they claim to have on those seeking entry into our country.  Why would they not want more legal ports of entry and more personnel to man them in order to compassionately welcome those seeking to come here?  Why would they not do everything in their power to stop human trafficking and drug-smuggling?

In January of this year, Senator Chuck Schumer offered 25 billion dollars for the wall, only to quickly remove it from the table, as his political base wasn’t happy about the compromise.  In 2006, Senator Schumer, along with then-Senators Clinton and Obama, called for a border wall with Mexico.  What changed?  Donald J. Trump is now President; that is all. 

It is time for the insanity to stop.  Using the issue of a border wall as a political bludgeon must cease.  Weaponizing border security must be called out for what it truly is.  Congresswoman Pelosi, you are correct that the border wall is a moral issue.  It is immoral to not build it.  It is disingenuous and duplicitous for Senator Schumer and you to oppose it.  Build the wall.