Most outstanding aspects of the immigration plan discussed by President Trump during the State of the Union

Among the highlights we can point out:

– The belief that the problem of undocumented immigration is caused by the fact that undocumented immigrants have the ability to cross the southern border of the US from Mexico.

– The belief that, once the wall (preferably of steel) that divides Mexico and the US is built, the entry of immigrants will be restricted in its entirety. Therefore, crimes, drug entry and human trafficking will be avoided. Nothing is further from the truth. Reports and very reputable studies indicate that many immigrants who enter legally as tourists or other statuses stay more than the time provided for by their visas, which makes them undocumented, yet entered through a port of entry. This is a legal entry, either through an airline or maritime. This type of undocumented person exceeds the number of those who illegally enter the Mexican border, which contradicts the President’s argument to build the wall.

On the other hand, we must highlight the influx of migratory caravans that arrive to the southern border of the USA, of which I could be a witness as I saw them arrive. These caravans are made up of immigrants fleeing poverty and violence in their countries of origin. Immigrants, in these cases, usually seek to appear before a civil servant or border officer to present their situation or to request asylum once; but very few seek to evade arrest, which, in my opinion, is not a good argument to justify a border wall based on a national emergency. It should also be noted that there are studies carried out, such as that of the Cato Institute, which indicate that undocumented immigrants commit far fewer violent crimes than those born in this country.

I am one of those who believes that there is a need to have a working immigration system that is up to date with reality and that does not start from the base of a wall.