I've come round to building a wall along the southern border.
Provided that we do it the right way, I think it can be done such that it will be pleasing to nativists and immigration supporters alike, at no cost to current US taxpayers.
The basic idea is to declare a 20 mile wide strip of land along the border to be a "Free Trade Zone", where anyone from anywhere in the world can live and work indefinitely, with the proviso that they build and maintain a wall on the US side.
I predict the land along the border would immediately become extremely valuable. And the people living within the FTZ would be happy to contribute to the building of a wall, at no cost to current taxpayers.
This could be done incrementally as well. Try it out with a small, 20 mile long segment. If it works, expand it. If it doesn't work, end the program.
Provided that we do it the right way, I think it can be done such that it will be pleasing to nativists and immigration supporters alike, at no cost to current US taxpayers.
The basic idea is to declare a 20 mile wide strip of land along the border to be a "Free Trade Zone", where anyone from anywhere in the world can live and work indefinitely, with the proviso that they build and maintain a wall on the US side.
I predict the land along the border would immediately become extremely valuable. And the people living within the FTZ would be happy to contribute to the building of a wall, at no cost to current taxpayers.
This could be done incrementally as well. Try it out with a small, 20 mile long segment. If it works, expand it. If it doesn't work, end the program.