To many observers illegal immigrants are a concept. In Texas, they are a reality and a double edged sword. There is a certain respect due an individual who abandons everything they know and strikes off north. I have a suspicion that the reason the countries are third world shit holes because the bravest, the dreamers, and those willing to work are all heading north. What remains are the lame, the lazy and the indolent rich.

The other side of the coin is that wetbacks send money back to Mexico making a significant contribution to the economy, outstripped only by drugs and oil. In many ways illegals represent the new face of slavery.

It’s a win win for Mexico. The government doesn’t have to maintain an inventory, advertise, or arrange transportation. The slaves do it all themselves. Not only does the Mexican government make money but there is a substantial cost savings. Every wetback that travels north represents a reduction in infrastructure costs, schools, roads, hospitals, social services and basic needs.

I think we ought to take a page from Mexico’s book. The US need to close the border now. Most smuggling routes are known, shut them down today. The cartels have a choice of dozens of routes. The Border Patrol does not have the capability to cover them all. Ask anybody along the border, armed incursions happen every night. 

The military is ideally suited for this mission, the military term is ambush. By shutting down the border the United States government would hit the cartels in the pocketbook. 

The arrival of illegals with no place to go will further add to cartel woes. Before long the cartel will react and the number of illegals waiting to cross will diminish. The body count will climb, but that it isn’t our problem.

The United States is not the conscience of the world. Mexico, and other central American shit-holes are sovereign states. The idea that we can bribe them into doing the right thing hasn’t worked. Let them deal with the mess that they have created. This isn’t isolationism. It is recognition that American influence goes just so far. 

Hard as the trip north is, it may represent the easy way out. It is about time that these folks turned around, made the hard choice and work to build a nation, rather than accept a third world shit-hole.