Who Does Trump’s Wall Actually Impact?

The recent government shutdown reignited Trump’s campaign promise of a “big, beautiful wall.” While much of the focus of the conversation is on funding, I have been prompted to think about who the wall will actually impact. Dig this: there are over fifty species within 50 kilometers US-Mexico border that are considered threatened or endangered[i].

The Op-Eds are my take on some current issue I’ve had on my mind. They are written in a semi-academic fashion, so below, I will link my sources, often both scholarly articles and popular news outlets. Occasionally I’ll leave some additional resources if you’re interested in learning more. These are my own opinions, and I’m interested in hearing yours in the comments below. If you have a topic you’d like me to research and discuss, please contact me

 

Why do animals migrate?

Lots of reasons! As seasons change, animals migrate to maintain ideal temperatures. The same way birds fly south for the winter, jaguars and bobcats move north during the summertime as their winter homes get warmer. Animals also leave their home territorites during breeding seasons; it is especially hard for small populations to find suitable mates, so their migration ranges can easily reach into the southern U.S.

Barclary, S., & Frostenson, E. (2017). The ecological disaster that is Trump’s border wall: A visual guide. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/4/10/14471304/trump-border-wall-animals

Does it make sense for our current government to reconstruct the border wall?

President Trump has publicly promised many times that his administration will construct “a great wall…on our southern border,” to deter illegal human immigration from Mexico[ii]. However, the administration has not truly discussed where the funding for this border wall will come from. The Mexican government is definitely not paying for the wall, despite President Trump’s campaign claims. Estimates for the the cost of a solid sea-to-shining-sea wall can range anywhere from $17 – $22 billion[iii].

However, research shows that barriers, like border walls, do not actually impact human presence[iv]. This means that even if a given barrier is affecting wildlife, it is not impending on humans traveling between the two separated areas. In my opinion: no, it does not make sense for the government to spend time, money, and public attention to the US-Mexico border wall.

 

Can this border wall possibly allow animals to succeed?

As someone thoroughly disheartened by our current administration, let’s assume that the border wall is going to be constructed as promised: totally impermeable and with little to no openings from coast to coast. In theory, migratory animals could be trucked across the border in an attempt to maintain gene flow, habitat preferences, etc. This is obviously a huge investment of time and funding, so it is unrealistic to expect of the American government. A more doable course of action would be to leave large areas of the border unfenced for the sake of animal movement. To fulfill the purpose of preventing human passage, this option requires funding to drone and/or virtual monitoring of these open areas. This is currently the practice is places like Southern Arizona; border guards are stationed nearby and literally go after migrants spotted on their virtual monitoring systems. This sit-and-wait method is actually relatively affective[v]. In my humble personal opinion, open areas with monitoring are the best option when considering implementation costs and minimal impact to animal populations.

[i] Lasky, J. R., Jetz, W., & Keitt, T. H. (2011). Conservation biogeography of the US–Mexico border: a transcontinental risk assessment of barriers to animal dispersal. Diversity and Distributions, 17(4), 673–687. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00765.x

[ii] Gunderman, D. (2016). President-elect Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful wall” may end up just being a modest, double-layered fence. NY Daily News. Retrieved from

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/donald-trump-big-beautiful-wall-fence-article-1.2867648.

[iii] Dinan, S. (2017). Trump requests $24.5-million-per-mile border wall, U.S. choice of immigrants. The Washington Times.

[iv] McCallum, J. W., Rowcliffe, J. M., & Cuthill, I. C. (2014). Conservation on International Boundaries: The Impact of Security Barriers on Selected Terrestrial Mammals in Four Protected Areas in Arizona, USA. PLoS ONE, 9(4).

[v] Heyman, Josiah McC. “Why Interdiction? Immigration Control at the United States‐Mexico Border.” Regional Studies 33.7 (1999): 619-630.

 

 

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