Did you see that the Dems striped the fence money from the Defense Bill in House / Senate negotiations?

You won't like this answer, but you did ask what I think. I live in a southwest border state and I question whether anyone has yzed the cost-benefit ysis of the border fence. If you research this issue, you'll find that 40% of the illegals enter by bus or plane. The vast majority of the remaining illegals enter on tourist and visitor visas and do not return. When you go to Juarez or Tijuana or Mexicali, you see long lines of Mexicans entering legally to work as housekeepers etc. The problem is that many do not return. Have you seen the mountains of southern New Mexico or the desert of southern Arizona? The idea that a border fence will solve this very serious problem MAY be misguided. We've had the southern border of my state patrolled by the National Guard. Do you know how many illegals were caught last year sneaking across the border in my state? A total of 42. There are more than 20 million illegal Mexican immigrants in the U.S.--and that has to be only a wild guess by the census bureau and should be on the low side. How many of those do you think snuck across the border? The border fence interrupts the natural migration of wildlife and has separated at least one Indian tribe in Arizona. The border fence is not a panacea for this problem and I don't think anyone has ever checked on the cost of the border fence and the number of illegals who enter legally and stay illegally. I think this is an incredibly serious problem, but no one has shown me the border fence is the best solution. If we build a 7' fence, why can't Juan build a 8' ladder? EDIT: The other thing I forgot to mention was that I drove to Mexico in March in an SUV with clothes covering the windows. When I crossed at Yuma, the American border guard waved me through without getting out of his chair or asking us a single question. When I entered Mexico, the border crossing was completely unmanned. To clarify in response to "slew", the American border guard who waved us threw told my wife, who was driving, to back up so "I don 't have to get out of my chair." (literally). She did, he looked at her and waved us through without a word. While I suppose she does not look like a terrorist, he could not see into our car.