'A Fence Will Not Stop Illegal Immigration.' And Your Point is?

I agree that whoever believes a single strategy, such as building a fence, will solve all of our illegal immigration problems and create immigration utopia needs to get a reality check.  The crux of our illegal immigration problem is too complicated for a silver bullet solution.  That being said, this same complex challenge should in no way be viewed as a justification to just throw our hands up and allow the continuous stream of illegal immigrants to cross the border unimpeded.   This failed and doomed approach has been applied over the last 20 years and the resulting abysmal immigration record speaks for itself.  No one with common sense, including the Department of Homeland Security, has stated the fence is the end all solution.  Rather, it is one of many tools and immigration changes that are required to form a recipe for success.  The border fence will alleviate some of the strain on the overtaxed Border Patrol and will deter some from attempting illegal entry.  This in turn will allow the Border Patrol to focus on the more threatening illegal crossings and to focus its resources on trouble spots in the border.  Additionally, it may encourage some to look at legal avenue for entering and working in the United States.   We only need to look at San Diego as an example of the positive effects a border fence has on border control.  For decades, San Diego was a prime location where intending illegal crossers would gather across the border in Mexico.   This staging would even occur in broad daylight, allowing immigration authorities in San Diego to see what was coming their way.  Once a critical mass was staged, a mad dash toward the border would occur.  The ability of the Border Patrol and Immigration Inspectors to apprehend all crossers was overwhelmed by the large mass of people rushing the border and the ports-of-entry.  Aside from the illegal crossings, this environment created chaos, undermined the integrity of our borders, posed security threats, and contributed to the deaths of individuals who in the rush would find themselves unsuccessfully dodging high-speed traffic on San Diego’s highways.   Additional Border Patrol Agents were assigned to the San Diego Sector.  In addition, and a key ingredient to the control that exists today at the San Diego border, a fence was built along the border targeting the staging areas of the illegal crossers.  The fence supplemented the Border Patrol Officer resources and combined created control in a border area that previously was ruled by chaos.  I believe the large majority of San Diego residents would favor today’s orderly border with the fences over the days of seeing hundreds rush the border to dodge traffic on congested highways.  Border fencing can and has worked.