EckerNet.Com

The magical mystery wall that was supposed to be built on the border has been delayed, yet again.  Some anti-illegal immigration activists have criticized the use of “virtual walls” as simply another ploy of the federal government to avoid actually building a wall.  And every delay, cost overrun and “glitch” tends to prove them correct.

While fancy technology may look impressive in a Powerpoint slide, we effectively have a low-tech problem on the border.  We need physical barriers to prevent crossings.  Or in the case of especially motivated crossers, it delays them long enough to allow Border Patrol agents to get to the scene and apprehend the crossers.

Essentially we’re trying to build an electronic wheel, when a good ol’ steel/wood wheel served just fine.  Especially when one considers that the electronic wheel costs three times as much and takes four times as long to build.

Where a high-tech solution is needed is for employers to verify the status of their workers and for the federal government to track employers who are less than diligent in following federal laws defining legal workers.  Yet the federal government sinks enormous funds into a high-tech wall, when a cheaper physical version works just fine.  And where a high-tech system is needed, the government essentially punts.

It’s hard not to be cynical about the federal governments true intent when it comes to immigration.