The US Mexico Border Problem Essay Sample

What is the point in solving one issue if it causes more harm than good? In the minds of Americans, the phrase "We're going to build a wall" is prevalent. President Donald Trump said that many times since his campaign for the presidency. The goal of his desire to build a wall between the US and Mexico was to prevent illegal immigration from occurring, which according to him may lead to problems with drugs. There are those who agree while others oppose him, saying that it would not solve the problem, but rather create more problems. There are numerous factors that will help us better understand how could the economies of both countries be affected as a result of the closure of the US-Mexico border. As a result of those negative effects, the idea of closing the border is a bad idea for the economy and in addition, will hurt it more than benefit it.

As the United States' third-largest trading partner and second-largest destination, Mexico ranks high in both categories. Both countries' economies would suffer from the closing of the border. Mexican trade will be damaged, Mexico's automotive businesses will suffer, as will the American workforce, and Mexico's economy in general. According to Mark Earley, this could affect the automotive industry in Mexico even more, both because of the relative size of that country's economy and because Mexico is heavily dependent on U.S. export revenues. Apart from the automotive industry, the closure of the US-Mexico border would have profound effects on tourism. Moreover, agricultural products are moved between the United States and Mexico every day, which supports jobs in this industry on both sides of the border. The border between Mexico and the United States is estimated to be crossed by nearly half a million people each day. Due to these circumstances, the Mexican economy would suffer more, which in turn would put more pressure on immigration into the US. (Earley. Np). In addition to proving that this closure will have a negative impact on the economies of both countries, it also shows how closing the border will cause economic problems that will lead to Mexican poverty and put more pressure on illegal migration into the US. As a result, it would not solve the problem, but rather increase it.

In spite of the fact that over a sixteen hundred kilometers wall would likely cost billions of dollars, those funds can be better spent on border security. As Vanda Felbad-Brown explained, President Donald Trump claimed the wall would cost only 12 billion dollars, the House Speaker Paul Ryan cited $15 billion; Homeland Security $22 billion; The Washington Post $25 billion; and the Senate Democratic Report $70 billion. (Felbab-Brown. Np). Regardless of the different estimations, it is evident that billions will be spent on the construction of the wall. Furthermore, President Donald Trump would spend billions on building the wall because remittances from Mexico could not be seized, which would increase the number of undocumented workers entering the United States because remittances provide Mexicans with amenities they otherwise would not be able to afford. The U.S.Department of State states that “as Security is a collective responsibility; training, equipment, and technical assistance are funded by the United States supplement Mexico’s own investment in building the capacity of Mexican institutions and personnel to achieve these goals. Between 2008 and 2021, the US budgeted $3.3 billion for equipment and training”. (U.S.Dept of State. Np). As a result of this collaboration, the shared border is more secure, information sharing is more fluid, and Mexico benefits from professionally trained officials and cutting-edge technology to combat transnational crime. The United States already spends a lot of money on the border, so Mexico benefits economically from it. They may be able to use some of those billions to buy the equipment and training needed for securing the border with the money they are willing to spend on the wall.

President Donald Trump emphasized the negative impacts of immigrants to the United States, but it's important to know the role immigrants from Mexico play in the United States economy as well. Immigrant workers are actually having a net positive effect on the economy and the United States needs its immigrant workers. Based on Vanda Felbad-Brown’s findings, Immigrants and their children account for the vast majority of current and future workforce growth in the United States, accounting for approximately 16% of the labor force. If the number of immigrants to the United States was reduced either through deportation or through barriers to further immigration to the point where foreign-born people made up only about 10% of the population, the number of working-age Americans in the coming decades would remain essentially constant at 175 million. If the proportion of foreign-born residents remains constant, the number of working-age residents in the United States will increase by about 30 million over the next 50 years. the number of elderly people receiving costly benefits such as Medicare and Social Security, the costs of which are paid by workers' taxes, is increasing significantly. Currently, nearly 44 million people aged 65 and up receive Social Security benefits; by 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 86 million. Even undocumented workers support Social Security: in 2010, at least 1.8 million people used fake Social Security cards to get jobs but were mostly unable to draw benefits, so they contributed $13 billion to the retirement trust fund while withdrawing only $1 billion. (Felbad-Brown. Np). This evidence support that the United States requires these workers not only to fill jobs but also to boost productivity, which has fallen dramatically. 

Due to the obvious two countries’ strong trade, investment, and socioeconomic ties, Mexico’s economy is strongly intertwined with the United States. The Congressional Research Service explains that “approximately 80% of Mexican exports are destined for the United States. Despite Mexico's efforts to expand trade, the country's economy will likely remain closely linked to that of the United States. The country benefited from significant structural reforms initiated in the 1990s, but events such as the 2001 US recession and the 2009 global economic downturn impeded growth”.(Congressional Research Service. Np). Therefore, the economy of Mexico is heavily reliant on manufacturing and United States economic patterns. This article emphasizes that Mexico’s economy is connected with the U.S economy due to the manufacturing and exports of Mexico destined for the U.S. In addition, closing the border would not only affect the United States but also would lead Mexico’s economy to jeopardize. 

The North American Free Trade Agreement also called NAFTA is playing a big role in the economy of both countries. It is an international agreement signed by the governments of  Canada, Mexico, and the U.S since 1994. The Council on Foreign Relations states that “ the NAFTA agreement increased US GDP by less than 0.5%, adding up to $80 billion to the US economy upon full implementation, or several billion dollars of added growth per year”. It also explained that NAFTA increased Mexican farm exports to the US, which have tripled since the agreement's implementation. Hundreds of thousands of auto manufacturing jobs have also been created in the country, and most studies have concluded that the agreement increased productivity and reduced consumer prices in Mexico.(Council on Foreign Relations. Np). Furthermore, it is estimated by NAFTA supporters that the trade with Canada or Mexico supports 14 millions jobs in the US. This evidence shows that NAFTA appears to be an opportunity for both the United States and Mexico. As a result of NAFTA, US competitiveness increased through productivity, reduced costs, and promote cross-border supply chains, and also proved to increase Mexican farm exports to the US, as well as decrease prices Mexico. Therefore, it plays a huge and positive role in the economy of both countries.

In conclusion, closing the border of the United States and Mexico would not solve illegal migration to the US but rather promote that issue due to the negative impact of the border closing to the economy of Mexico. Closing the border will jeopardize Mexico’s economy therefore, it causes only economic problems and poverty to Mexico and that pushes Mexican to illegal migration. In addition, the immigrants help boost the economy of the United States. Instead of closing the borders, the US should strengthen border security and avoid decisions like this one that cause more harm than good.