When listening to the open border left discuss the much-needed border wall, they often whine that the wall will not work. They cite no facts or figures that walls do not work, nor can they, since the reality is far different. No doubt these same leftists have doors on their homes, Heaven forfend, maybe even locks, and many live in walled communities.
Walls work. Let’s discuss why.
Israel has one of the most effective walls on the planet. Not long ago, Israel was barraged with lethal suicide attacks from Palestinian terrorists. Between 2000 and 2004 there were 132 suicide bombings resulting in over 500 Israelis killed and thousands wounded. Most were civilians, many were children.
To halt the attacks, Israel built a security wall. The wall was so effective that in 2009, the year the wall was finished, the death toll from suicide bombings was reduced by over 90 percent.
Israel also has a lesser known wall on its border with Egypt. Israel was inundated with thousands of illegal immigrants from across the Middle East and Africa, using Egypt as a thoroughfare. That wall was so effective it reduced illegal immigration by 99 percent, according to David Rubin, the former mayor of Shiloh, Israel.
Hungary, a NATO ally, is another country that used a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigration. Like most of Europe, Hungary was being overrun with illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa. The tens of thousands of migrants were putting a serious strain on the social services and infrastructure of the European nation.
Fed up with the lack of EU response, Hungary built a wall between itself and its neighbors Croatia and Serbia, resulting in a 99.7 percent decrease in illegal immigration.
So, it’s clear walls work overseas. Can walls work here at home?
The Yuma sector of our border with Mexico was once one of the most heavily trafficked areas for illegal immigrants and smugglers. Following the completion of the wall in that sector, apprehensions in FY 2016 were one-tenth of what they were in FY 2005. Additionally, according to Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, the wall was responsible for a 91-percent drop in criminal activity in the sector.
Some leftists snivel that motivated criminals will go over walls, around them, or under them. Maybe some will. But if 99.7 percent are stopped — like in Hungary — and American lives are saved, it is easily worth it. We don’t dismantle airbags because some people still die in car accidents. We look at the lives saved.
A sex trafficker or gang member could attempt to scale or dig under the wall, but thanks to cameras, sensors, and drones they will be detected. It slows down the adversary while pushing others into zones with more Border Patrol presence. This is basic military tactic taught at almost every military school, force your adversary to go where you want them to.
Don’t listen to the lies and half-truths. Walls work. Only anti-American activists and their propaganda arms in the media claim walls don’t work. It is time to protect our families, communities, and sovereignty.
Paul A. Gosar represents Arizona in the United States House.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
