Building a Wall on the Mexican Border Is a Bad Idea. Here’s Why. (New at Reason)

Building a wall on the southern border is a bad idea legally, practically, morally, and economically.

In 2006, Congress enacted a law mandating that fencing be erected along much of the United States’ southern border. There are now over 600 miles of physical barriers, but only 36 of those miles have two layers, and the majority of the fence is made up of mere concrete posts that provide obstacles for vehicles but not pedestrians.

Despite the lackluster results, construction and maintenance far overshot the budget. Some $1.2 billion was allocated in ’06. By 2015, according to the government’s own statistics, we had managed to spend $7 billion on the project. That’s “more than $11.3 million per mile per decade,” writes David Bier in the cover story of the latest issue of Reason.

Bier will appear on C-SPAN Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. to talk about his cover story and the reasons why the wall won’t work. Tune in!

Read on for a rundown of the many, many more reasons a barrier on the southern border is a bad idea.

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