isn’t it really simple to cross the border from Mexico?

14 comments

1. Experts think there are currently between 11 million and 16 million illegal immigrants living in the US. The total foreign-born population in the US (illegal and legal combined) is over 45 million.

   Many people cross into the US illegally across the land border with Mexico on a daily basis. To a lesser extent there are also people that illegally enter the US across the land border with Canada. There are even people that illegally enter the US in Florida by boat. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency they counted a combined 521,090 inadmissible and apprehended migrants in fiscal year 2018. They don’t catch or count them all.

   People are definitely coming every day. Some risk their life in a desert or on a raft. Others find a less dangerous path. The US, for all its faults, is very alluring to many people. There are a lot of discussions in the US about whether this is a problem and what, if anything, should be done.

2. The biggest thing is people don’t know what part is being watched and if they do get caught they don’t want to end up bouncing around in the system.

   But yeah honestly it is fairly easy to get in. And it is a major problem…that’s part of how Trump managed to get into office, by acting like he could fix it.

3. The biggest problem isn’t getting into America, it’s getting to shelter. All the spots near cities where you could easily stay alive are heavily guarded.

   The spots where crossing is easy you generally have a long walk through the desert before you get to anything resembling shelter or civilization.

   Lots of illegal migrants die to the elements.

4. >There is no permanent border protection. This hasn’t turned into an immigration exodus. Is it actually easy to cross? If it is Then why don’t people flood in?

   Like any river, it ebbs and flows and what can easily be crossed one day can be deadly the next.

   There is permanent border control but not enough.

   The biggest problem you will run into is the drug cartels. If you try to organize a group to cross and don’t pay the cartels, you might not make it.

   >I’m not saying it’s easy to illegally stay in America

   Once you are here it is easier than you imagine. Though, you won’t have all the benefits and rights as a citizen.

5. When I visited Big Bend NP I was surprised there were no borders anywhere and crossing would be no issue. Then I remembered that there’s endless desert that immigrants have to cross and that sounds awful.

6. https://www.dhs.gov/publication/border-surveillance-systems-bss

   The CBP has sensors IN GROUND, not to mention overland vehicles/drones or what not patrolling it. it’s not everywhere, but it is there to alert it to the movement of people/animals etc.

   Not to mention a lot of ground alongside Rio Grande is fairly treacherous, be it mountainous or deserty.

   >The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deploys Border Surveillance Systems (BSS) to provide comprehensive situational awareness along the United States border for border security and national security purposes, and to assist in detecting, identifying, apprehending, and removing individuals illegally entering the United States at and between ports of entry or otherwise violating U.S. law. BSS includes commercially available technologies such as **fixed and mobile video surveillance systems, range finders, thermal imaging devices, radar, ground sensors, and radio frequency sensors.** CBP is updating this PIA to assess the privacy risks associated with new border surveillance technologies not addressed in the original PIA, including **maritime and ground radar, enhanced video capabilities, seismic and imaging sensors, and the use of commercially available location data to identify activity in designated areas within near the United States border.**

   ————

   >The National Intrusion Sensor Infrastructure (NiSI) is CBP’s ground-intrusion alarm
   system. NiSI is a national-scale, long-term, physical intrusion detection system that includes
   detection monitoring, logging, and management components. The NiSI system employs a network
   of UGS (which include environmental sensors, equipment health sensors, communication
   equipment, and related equipment) to detect suspicious activity and allow rapid response to
   changes in risk along the U.S. border. UGS is an overarching term used to describe unattended
   ground sensors that include seismic, acoustic, magnetic, and day/night cameras that are used to
   automatically detect persons or vehicles and transmit activity reports or images via radiofrequency or satellite communications to the CBP ICAD system

7. I’ve lived along the border. Most of the border near the cities is lit up like daylight with sensors, border patrol etc.

   Large parts of the border were totally inaccessible until Trump decided that a wall needed to be built. The wall was so stupid that the border patrol said it wasn’t needed. Parts were built and roads to service it where it previously was inaccessible were built. Now it’s easier to cross. Go figure.

   The river is pretty wide and yes, people do raft across it.

   There’s also checkpoints along the major roadways heading north. I guess they make a difference? Ive drove through the checkpoint in San Clemente, between LA and San Diego a billion times, and never saw them doing much.

8. I wait until you see the Canadian border.

   I was working up on a border lake one summer and went fishing to a spot someone had suggested like every few days all summer. I realized at the end that the place I was fishing is probably a few hundred yards over the border in Canada.

   I was illegally crossing the border all summer without even knowing it.

9. Sadly many die crossing and after they cross, traveling thru the country. Since Oct at least 200 that we know of. Probably closer to 300 as some will never be found.

10. It’s not easy, there’s a reason people die crossing the border. Parts of the country are very remote.

11. (Mexico is in North America)

12. That river will kill you. That river is surrounded by harsh desert, which will also kill you.

13. Mexico isn’t in South America though. It’s part of North America.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America

    Coming in illegally from South America is much longer trek, can take months.

14. Since a bunch of people just died in a sinking boat trying to cross the river, I assume the places you can cross by walking through it are heavily monitored