Wall is symbol, not solution

Hadrian's wall, the great wall, the Berlin wall, and the Maginot Line all had something in common. They failed. We are told a wall on our southern border would stop drug trafficking, reduce crime, and a host of other falsehoods. Near Tucson, Arizona airport is what appears to be an air museum. Many old transport planes can be found there. But it isn't a museum. The planes have been confiscated from drug smugglers. There are plenty more where those came from, as rich drug cartels can both afford all they want, and replace any they lose. By sea everything from container ships to submarines are employed to haul in drugs by the tons, opposed only by a coast guard that has had its budget cut by the current administration and often operates with obsolete vessels. Estimates are that 80 percent of drugs arrive in our country by sea. FBI statistics show claims of widespread crime by immigrants are just false. Most illegals are here on expired visas and are Canadian.

Building a wall of any kind and sending the military will not stop illegal immigration. Properly funding the border patrol and investing in new technology would be far more helpful. The military cannot legally do border enforcement. Walls can be tunneled under, flown over, sailed around, blown up and sawed apart. They are a symbol, not a solution, and not a very flattering symbol for a republic. Let's shut down the falsehoods, not the government.

WILL RICHARDSON, Jackson