As border wall prototypes are being build along the US-Mexico border, we’re being reminded of just how necessary a strong, impenetrable border is.
It turns out that the prototypes are already being tested on illegal immigrants, albeit accidentally. A number of immigration officials told the Washington Examiner that, “during a trip to the border last Wednesday agents had apprehended illegal immigrants inside the construction zone where eight border wall prototypes are currently being built.”
Here’s more: “‘There have been arrests made where individuals crossed illegally into the United States,’ said U.S. Customs and Border Protection San Diego division chief Mario Villarreal. ‘We’ve had additional resources there in the form of our horse control and ATVs.'”
I’m down at the U.S.-Mexico border to see the prototypes of Trump’s wall. Follow @dcexaminer on snapchat for more footage! pic.twitter.com/pi2BZwoTDx
— Gabby Morrongiello (@gabriellahope_) October 18, 2017
Just twelve miles west of where the prototypes are being constructed is the Otay Mesa area, a primary target for those crossing the border illegally.
The fact that there were illegals apprehended where only minor prototypes were being developed should serve as a wake-up call to how pervasive the problem of illegal immigration is. That’s especially so given that the number of illegal immigrants is commonly estimated between 11-15 million, costing American taxpayers $116 billion annually.
While controlling the border is a necessary measure in blocking the flow of illegal immigrants into America, it’s only one half of the equation. There are still well over 10 million illegal aliens already here.
So what to do with them? ICE has been aggressively ramping up enforcement against businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. In addition to boosting the border patrol’s funding, Trump has also added to ICE’s budget. “While we focus on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, under the current administration’s enforcement priorities, workers encountered during these investigations who are unauthorized to remain in the United States are also subject to administrative arrest and removal from the country,” ICE spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said in an email to the Washington Examiner.
Earlier this year, the record was set for the largest single fine a business was forced to pay as result of hiring illegals. Last year the Department of Justice increased the minimum penalty for hiring illegals from $375 to $539, while the maximum fine increased from $3,200 to $4,313 (per immigrant). For those hiring multiple illegals, the maximum charge would be $21,563.
But is that really enough to act as a deterrent? I certainly don’t think so. The cost savings from illegal immigrant labor could be so great for some businesses that they risk being fined, and pay it once they are caught, and then continue hiring illegals.
And under Trump’s watch, the fines have been increased – big league, as he’d say. Asplundh Tree Experts Co. has set the record for the largest immigration-related fine in American history – a whopping $95 million. From the report: “The U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia said Asplundh employed thousands of unauthorized workers between 2010 and 2014, its top management remaining ‘willfully blind’ while lower-level supervisors hired people they knew were in the country illegally. In some cases, the supervisors rehired workers who’d already been let go by the company due to their immigration status.”
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