No Winners When It Comes to Border Security

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http://www.alternet.org/immigration/no-winners-when-it-comes-border-security




While many progressives are resigned to border security as a tradeoff for “comprehensive” immigration reform, a new study published earlier this month by the University of Arizona’s Binational Migration Institute revealed the stark reality of such a compromise: during times of increased border security migrant deaths along the border have soared. In the south-central Arizona area alone, deaths peaked at 225 in 2010, and were only slightly lower in 2011 and 2012.

The report goes on to suggest that if we continue to beef-up the already steroid-overdosed border enforcement, there will be more deaths and at higher and higher numbers.

Yet, at the same time, the call for enhanced border security continues to dominate the conversation about immigration reform. Last Thursday, border security, the Republicans’ most pressing concern, domineered the debate as never before as senators announced an official border security compromise. By Monday, Senate lawmakers backed a new amendment by Republican senators John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee that calls for the U.S. government to aim for a state of "persistent surveillance" along the border.

Here’s what that means:

By 2014 there will be 20,000 more border patrol agents on the border, making the already largest police enforcement concentrated in one area even bigger, topping off at nearly 42,000. The use of drones will be dramatically expanded, an additional 700 miles of fencing will be built, and a slew of new military technologies will be updated.

And (surprise!) this will cost nearly $40 billion over the next decade.