Interview: “Politics without rationality”

The construction of Trump’s border wall faces several challenges since its conception, as it won’t stop illegal immigration nor drug trafficking, while it will cause significant environmental damage. Also, it is worth noting that the 1944 International Waters Treaty between Mexico and the U.S. prevented president George W. Bush from building a fence on the Bravo River during his administration. Ryan Zinke, U.S. Secretary of Interior has recently recognized that the construction of the border wall with Mexico will be complex in areas such as the Bravo River, considering that a wall in the U.S. side will leave the entirety of the river on the Mexican side, says Carlos de la Parra Rentería, researcher at the Norther Border Institute, in an interview for EL UNIVERSAL.

Which are the effects of building a wall in the Mexico-U.S. border?

The construction of the border wall will come at a high cost as many players in the U.S., namely border mayors, and researchers, are already saying that building a wall will isolate the U.S. from the Bravo River. There are three powerful reasons for the U.S. to build a border wall: to reduce illegal immigration, to limit drug trafficking and to prevent entrance of terrorists through the Mexico-U.S. border.

Is there a presence of high-tech surveillance in the Mexico-U.S. border?

There is, during the first Obama administration, Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and a former democrat governor of Arizona, became famous with the phrase: "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder.”, she then started an intelligent detection program that failed to provide any results.

There is no logic to what U.S. politicians are doing, these are people stirring feelings of terror at its lowest in the U.S.population because they like to play the hero who fights the villain. The rhetoric around the border wall gives the American public a false sense of security. As Mexicans, we shouldn’t feel offended by this nonsensical and politically-driven discourse.

Are there any animal species endangered by the construction of the border wall?

Yes, a series of species will end up paying the consequences of the border wall as its constructions threatens their natural habitat, namely, the coyote, the Mexican wolf, the Bravo River ocelot, Arizona-Sonora jaguar, the American antelope, the white tail deer, the black bear and the bats that are repelled by the excess of surveillance lighting int the area.

Can the border wall have a real impact on the bilateral relations between Mexico and the U.S.?

Definitely. As Mexicans we feel deeply offended, a border wall creates a divide between Mexico and the U.S and, at the same time, a divide within the U.S. should one consider the major opposition to its construction in that country.