Today with the millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States, the government has proposed many reforms. One of those proposals is the U.S.-Mexican border wall.

The “wall” which hasn’t been built yet, is going to be 1,100 kilometers of border fencing along parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The “state-of-the-art wall” is estimated to cost between four and eight billion dollars. It may be a 10-foot prison chain link fence topped by a razor wire. It will cost extra to get it electrified and/or to get a larger 12-foot-tall, two-foot-thick concrete wall.

Polls show that many Americans support the wall being built. I am not one of those people.

Personally, I think this “wall” will only cause tensions to rise between the American and Mexican governments. I also think that this is the government’s easy way to “solve” the illegal immigration issue.

Many people will still find a way to sneak into the United States. If the immigrants want to come over that desperately, they will find a way. For instance, recently there have been found 40 tunnel passages since 9/11. There could still be more that haven’t been discovered yet.

I have asked myself many times, “Why can’t the U.S. government help Mexico if they don’t want illegal immigrants in their country?” The United States has helped many countries over the centuries. Now the United States is trying to help Iraq even though many Iraqis don’t want their help. The number one reason that illegal immigrants from Mexico come to the United States is because they have no other option than to go to help support their families. In Mexico there aren’t many jobs. Mexico does need help, and they would probably be happy to accept it. If the U.S. government realized that then they could solve the illegal immigrant issue and they won’t have to spend their money on a “wall” which isn’t going to help.

If Mexico had a stronger economy, then the immigration issue would disappear. With economic incentives, the government could help Mexico’s economy create more jobs or maybe teach them some economic strategies to help Mexico become a “stronger nation.” If “The United States of America is one of the greatest countries,” like many people say, shouldn’t the government be able to do this?

Many Americans complain about how the U.S. government spends money for unnecessary things. Well the “wall” would cost a lot of money, and it will probably fail. It could also cost the United States an ally. I think the government should do some serious thinking about other ways to solve this issue, not just look for the easy way out.

Gaby Tinoco is the features editor for the Cougar Clause. She is a junior, and this is her second semester on staff.