Mallie Jane Kim
Fencing off the 2,000 miles of U.S.- Mexico border is not an easy task
In
Nevertheless, some 2012 candidates continue to find political capital in touting the fence.
Former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner
Since the border terrain varies so widely, different areas call for different types of fencing, if any, designed to hinder either pedestrian traffic or vehicles. And some areas have a natural fence to slow illegal crossers or smugglers already: mountains and the Rio Grande.
In urban areas like
And wasting resources is never a popular idea, particularly at a time when federal budgets are tight. In 2009, the
The real immigration problem is far more complex, experts say. Approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants are already in the country and have been for years. Anywhere from one third to one half of those entered legally and overstayed visas, according to estimates by the
"When you're really making a point that we don't like what's going on in suburban
The push for more fencing at the border, he adds, is like trying to solve yesterday's problem. "The damage was done 10 years ago. It's a matter of interior enforcement now," Bingel says. "In some ways, we're fighting the last war on that, and in some cases a war that's already being fought and won with the additional resources that have actually come since 2003, 2004."
Still, several of the 2012
"It's a preposterous oversimplification, but it's one that has political currency," says
But simplifying the issues is just the way of politics, says
Republican strategist
And though Latino voters are not a monolithic, single-issue group, Alvarado explains, those focused on immigration "feel that they've been shelved until 2013" by the president and by
Bingel, the former Customs and Border Protection chief of staff, says he understands that support for a physical fence, particularly in places like
Twitter: @ihavenet
- Opinions Strong About Gaddafi's End and Libya's New Beginning
- Libyans Celebrate Gaddafi's Death
- Wall Street (Unlike)
- Animal Spirits: Shaping Patterns of Economic Growth
- Assessing the Damage of the European Banking Crisis
- Better Ways Forward for the European Union
- Solving A Deadly Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis
- Steve Jobs May Have Failed Abroad
- Behind Europe's Debt Crisis Lurks Another Wall Street Bailout
- Sluggish America Can Still Be a World Leader
- US Economic Woes Put China in the Political Crosshairs
- Newspaper Nostalgia
- Veterans: The Human Rubble of Our Wars
- A Devalued Renminbi Makes Wealthier Americans
- US Fears Misplaced When it Comes to China
- United States - South Korea Trade Deal Win-Win for Jobs and Economy
- Predator in Chief
- United States Accusations Turn Up Heat in Simmering Gulf
- Congress, Administration Discuss Next Steps on Iran
- Iran and The Diminishing Returns of Reasonableness
- What if Arbabsiar Was All About the Drugs, Not Terror?
- Terror Plot's Mystery Link to Iran
- What War Between Iran and Saudi Arabia Might Look Like
- Yemen's Turbulent Spring
- Dealing with the Haqqanis
- The Conservative Case Against a Border Fence
- GOP Uses Border Fence as Immigration Distraction for 2012
- Learning From Mexico's Coalition Debate
- Mexican Constitution Now Recognizes Right to Food
- Islamic Plot to Bomb U.S. Embassy Reported in Mexico
- The Suppression of Democracy in Haiti
- Colombia: Human Rights Issues Unanswered
- Chinese Investment Flows Continue to Aid Brazil's Ascendency
- Free Trade Is Not So Free: The Panamanian Case
- Arab Spring, Israeli Isolation
- Israeli - Palestinian Conflict: The Prisoner Swap
- Iran Alleged Assassination Plot: Emboldened by Nuke Program?
- The Real Nuclear Threat From Iran May Not Be Nuclear Weapons
- From the Mediterranean to the Hindu Kush: Rethinking the Region
- Price of the Libya Intervention: Surface to Air Missiles for All
- Exporters Armed Arab Spring Crackdown
- Fighting Escalates in Yemen
- Hamas Gains From Prisoner Swap Likely to Fade
- Mossad Gets Dragged Into Latest British Political Scandal
- Black Magic Widespread in Saudi Arabia
- Syria: Alawites Go On Arms Shopping Spree
- Children Man Barricades in Northern Kosovo
- Macedonia's EU Bid Still Mired in Name Issue
- Turkey Needs Further Reforms
- 'Ottomania' on the Rise in Turkey
- Turkey: Cartoonist Faces Trial for Asserting that 'Religion Is a Lie'
- Turkey - Russia Relations and Missile Defense
- The Black Sea: A Forgotten Geo-strategic Realm
- Central Asia: Russia Grapples with a Security Dilemma
- Russia: Is Moscow Heading Toward the Time of Troubles?
- China and the South China Sea Dispute
- South China Sea Disputes: Why conflict is Not Inevitable
- Burma's Junta: Can a Tiger Change Its Stripes?
- Japan: Ozawa Ichiro on Trial
- India-China Economic Dialogue: A View from Beijing
- India-Afghanistan Partnership Through the Eyes of the Pakistani Media
- India Falters in Countering Terrorism
- The Last Colony in Africa
- Beyond Good Versus Evil: Fighting Somalia's Perpetual War
- Heavy Casualties as Somali Forces Attack Rebel Stronghold
- Somali Forces Seize District in Lower Jubba from Insurgents
- Hard Times Lead Young Somalis to Delay Marriage
- Kenya's Risky Intervention into Somalia
- Children Tempted With a Phone to Carry a Gun
- African Drought Response: Lessons Still to Learn
- Rumpus Over Genetically Modified Food Aid in Africa
- Great Game in the Horn of Africa
- Crowds and Constitutions: Insights from Iceland
- Beyond the Nation-State
- The Human Rights Council: 5 Years On
- United States Prepares Sanctions Against Iran for Bomb Plot
- Iran Denies Alleged Plot to Kill Saudi Envoy
- Cyber Security as a Wicked Problem
- An Alternative Eulogy for Steve Jobs
- Americas to Become Mecca of World's Energy
- Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America
- Latin Universities Index Doesn't Tell Full Story
- Blind Eye to Colombia's Questionable Human Rights Record
- United States - Cuba Policy Staggers from Inept to Pedestrian
- Rick Perry Proposal of American Troops in Mexico Stirs Criticism
- GOP Candidates Look at Narco-Terrorism Risks
- Dexia Bank's Collapse and the European Financial Crisis
- European Crisis: Precise Solutions in an Imprecise Reality
- Slovakia Thumbs Down on Euro Bailout Fund Hike
- Greek Anger and Greece's Survival
- A Win-Win Strategy for Investors in Greece
- Amid Strikes, Greek Workers are Hurting
- Without Textbooks Greek School Year Starts in Confusion
- Putin's Comeback: Fast Forward to the Past
- NATO and Russia: Missile Defense Sticking Point?
- Russia's Arctic Embrace: Cold War Reloaded
- Putin Calls For Eurasian Union In Former Soviet Space
- United Kingdom Riots: State of Denial
- UK Unemployment Rises to 17-year High
- Study Estimates 3 Million British Children in Poverty by 2013
- Bank of England Pours More Money Into Quantitative Easing
- Britain Shuts Down Family Access Immigration Route
- EC Recommends Serbia Gain EU Candidate Status
- Spanish Court Won't Let Cameraman Couso Killing Die
- Poland's Tusk Wins Historic Second Term
- Turkey: Making Room for Religious Minorities
- Cyprus: Waters Roil in Eastern Mediterranean
- A Nuclear Retaliation Alternative for India
- Strategic Partnership with Afghanistan: India Showcases Soft Power
- The India - Bangladesh Border: A New Beginning
- Pakistan's Sponsorship of Terrorism Is Undeniable
- Energy Crises and Riots in Pakistan
- Dante in Karachi: Circles of Crime in a Megacity
- Children in 2005 Pakistan Earthquake Zone Still Lack Schools
- Afghanistan: The Regional Complex
- Afghanistan's Energy War
- Afghanistan War Marks 10th Year Quietly
- Bono's African Philanthropy Could Use a Remix
- The Dadaab Camps: The Daemon in the Detail
- Dadaab Camps: A Day in the Life of a Refugee
- Senegal: Demining Machine Clears Path For Better Future
- Somalia: African Union Forces Attack Al Shabaab's Strongholds
- Worst Forms of Child Labor Still Widespread in Africa
- South Africa: Deportations of Zimbabwean Migrants Set to Resume
- Uganda: New facility to Concentrate on Cancer
- Africa: Why Involving Men is Crucial
- Zimbabwe: Poverty Alleviation Program Targets Kids
- The Economics of the Arab Spring
- Many Arabs Stay Hopeful Even as Economies Sag
- Arab World Poised for Economic Growth Spurt
- Fear of an Islamic Planet
- Riots in Cairo
- Egyptian Army Turns Guns on Its Citizens
- Timeline of Egyptian Sectarian Violence
- A New Phase in Post-Mubarak Egypt
- Boycott Looms as Egyptian Elections Near
- Anxious Campaign Season Opens in Tunisia
- Saudi Security Force Ramps Up
- Sectarian Rifts Erupt Again in Saudi Arabia
- Libya: Winning the Peace Collectively
- Concerns Over 'Rampant Torture' Rise in Syria
- Syria: Redrawing the Political Foundations
- Lieberman Calls for No-Fly Zone Over Syria
- Syrian Crackdown Reaches London and Paris
- Anwar Al Awlaki Death Doesn't Solve Yemen's Problems
- Yemen: Fallout from the al-Awlaki Airstrike
- Why America Should Pay Attention to Egyptian Elections
- Boxed in on the Middle East
- Even Non-Violent Palestinian Intifada Seems Unlikely Now
- Art Comes to Jerusalem Open Market
- Israel: Bittersweet Reunion of Righteous Gentiles
- Jewish Extremists Burn Mosque in Israel
- Israeli 'Price Tag' Vandals Mark Up Violence
- Rise of the Renminbi as International Currency
- China: Significance and Implications of Tiangong 1
- China Orders Closure of 13 Wal-Marts for Selling Mislabeled Pork
- China Launches Own Iron Ore Price Index
- South Korea's Naval Base on Ulleung Island
- Why 2012 Will Shake Up Asia and the World
- Rights Groups Moves High Court on Beheading of 8 Bangladeshi
- Bangladesh World's 5th Most Vulnerable Country for Climate Change
- Bangladesh's Grameenphone and Teletalk Partner on Cell Phone Early Disaster Warning System
Copyright 2011, U.S. News & World Report