Military on the US Southern Border - Prime Academic Study

Table of Contents

Introduction
Illegal Immigration
Force Allocation
Available Funding
Absence of Resolution
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The US southern border protects the country from illegal immigration from Mexico. It is critical for the security of the USA because it ensures that the country will not be adversely affected by issues associated with overpopulation and illicit drugs (Nixon & Santos, 2017). Currently, a new wall is built between the USA and Mexico, as it is believed to separate countries from each other and prevent undesired immigration. Nevertheless, this process is time-consuming, so Trump considers that it will be advantageous to deploy the military to the border (Holland, 2018). Even though high volumes of illegal immigration have a negative influence on the USA, it seems to be better not to use military forces as a wall to secure the southern border.

Illegal Immigration

The population of America got used to the fact that people from Mexico come to their country looking for better opportunities. This fact was true to life about eight years ago, but current statistics do not seem to support this fact. The highest rates of immigration were observed in 1955-2000 when almost 3,000 individuals came from Mexico to the USA (Schofield, 2017). However, this tendency decreased with the course of time, and more people emigrated from the USA to Mexico than vice versa. Thus, it can be claimed that there is no necessity to use additional forces to combat illegal immigration from Mexico currently.

Force Allocation

Attention should be paid to the fact that it is not yet clear what kind of military powers will be used to serve as a wall. The US military forces are limited, and all departments have their own duties and responsibilities. If some of them will be deployed to the southern border, there might be not enough forces to deal with their initial tasks. The representatives of the democratic parties reveal that Trump’s step is rather controversial because it presupposes the necessity to cut vital priorities of service members (Macias, 2018).

Available Funding

The Department of Defense is limited in funds, and it will be rather costly for it to start working on the border. Excessive spending is also associated with the wall construction, as the President wanted to spend about $25 billion on it while only a little bit more than $1.5 billion was authorized (Macias, 2018). In this way, it can be claimed that the country does not have enough money to deploy additional forces to secure the border.

Absence of Resolution

Even serving at the southern border, the military will not be able to serve all issues associated with the case of Mexico. For instance, many illegal immigrants already live on the territory of the USA, and the use of additional force at the border will not alter this situation. Some individuals come on visas and remain in the country when they are expired. The transition of drugs and guns is not likely to be affected significantly as well, because this issue deals with corruption (Dear, 2017). Sending more people to the border, Trump may make it even more vulnerable. The military is used to protect the country, but terrorists, for instance, are not interested in the southern border and it may be better to focus on the ways they can be stopped.

Conclusion

Thus, the deployment of the military to the US border with Mexico does not seem to be a good idea. The fact that these professionals will obtain new responsibilities will cause additional issues associated with the force allocation and finances. In addition to that, existing problems that are critical for the country are not likely to be resolved due to this intervention.