This video was made possible by Hover. Buy your custom domain and email before itâs
gone for 10% off at hover.com/wendover. The United States, despite its geopolitical
prominence, is flanked by but two countries. To the north, the 5,525 mile, 8,891 kilometer
line separating it from Canada represents the longest border in the world. To the south, the 1,954 mile, 3,145 kilometer
US-Mexico border is perhaps one of the most significant in the world. It separates two of the most economically
and socially interlinked countries in the world. The US buys more from Mexico than any other
country, Mexico buys more from the US than any other country, and Mexico sells more to
the US than any other country. Beyond that, there are some 37 million people
living in the US with Mexican ancestry, which is a truly staggering statistic. That means there are more Mexicans living
in the US than there are people living in Canada, full stop. Both the US and Mexico rely hugely on this
continuous flow of people and money back and forth, which means how well this border functions
is directly tied to the success of both countries. Unfortunately for both, though, this border,
while significant, has its issues. A border and its effectiveness involves far
more than the line itselfâitâs about how well the overall immigration system between
the two countries functionsâbut, at the end of the day, that line is still quite important. The Mexico-US border is crossed more than
any other restricted border in the world, meaning itâs actually quite porous. There are fifty spots where one can legally
cross the border by land. The smallest is the tiny Boquillas Port of
Entry in Big Bend National Park where about 11,000 annual travelers are processed remotely
using video inspection kiosksâmostly to make day-trips to the small Mexican town of
Boquillas del Carmen while vacationing in the National Park. On the other hand, the largest crossing is
the San Ysidro Port of Entry, processing 11 million pedestrians and 26 million cars per
yearâthereby making it the busiest land border checkpoint in the western hemisphere. As part of the primary route between San Diego
and Tijuanaâtwo cities between which people commute on a daily basisâthis crossing is
never not busy. The rest of this 1,954 mile, 3,145 kilometer
line, beyond these 50 checkpoints, is secured as, to go from Mexico to the US, or the US
to Mexico, you have to go through immigration checkpointsâat least to do it legally. Each and every year, hundreds of thousands
or millions of people attempt to cross into the US, via the southern border, without the
legal right to do so. In short, they try to migrate illegally. Now, the vast majority of these undocumented
immigrants are not successful in their endeavorâan estimated 55 to 85 percent of them are caught
and sent back to their home countryâbut to many people, these odds are worth it. There is enormous economic disparity between
the US, where average income is at $65,000 per year, and Mexico, where that number stands
at $9,500 per year. Also, while low compared to other wealthy
countries, the US scores much better than Mexico on social mobility meaning a poor person
is more likely to become wealthier in their lifetime in the US than Mexico. In short, while there are certainly nearly
infinite reasons why someone might choose to migrate to the USâincluding, quite often,
family reunification or an escape from violenceâresearch has shown that money, and the attempt to escape
poverty, is typically the strongest and primary one. Of course, the question is, why donât these
people migrate to the US legally? It would certainly be safer and cheaper. Well, overwhelmingly the answer is because
they canât. For some people, there is no legitimate route
to legal status in the US, and, to others, thereâs no practical way. Many forms of American immigrant visas have
annual caps that are not proportional to immigration demand from a given country. That means that, for example, if you were
a married, Mexican-citizen who was the son or daughter of a US citizen, the wait time
to have your visa processed currently stands at twenty-four years. That means that now, in September 2020, theyâre
currently only processing applications submitted up until August 1st, 1996. Faced with the prospect of waiting 24 years,
more than a fourth of their life, until they can live and work in the same country as their
parents or, for example, take care of them in old age, many people seeking this and other
classes of visas choose not to wait, and rather take the faster, yet riskier option of immigrating
without authorization. While dangerous, the process of crossing the
border illegally is a path generally not taken alone. Back twenty years ago, people had to figure
out this process themselves, but nowadays, upwards of 95% of first time crossers hire
a smuggler to help them. Thatâs an expensive proposition, with the
average fee hovering around $3,500 per personâabout four monthâs wages for the average Mexican. In exchange for their fees, these smugglers
will generally group migrants together, transport them to the border, give them instructions
on how to cross, and then arrange for transportation on the other side. The migrants and smugglers really have two
choices in terms of which obstacle to faceâthe border security itself, or nature. There is never no security, but in many places
there is minimal as hundreds of miles of empty, dry, desert plains lay between the border
and the nearest city, where migrants can disappear into the crowd. This sheer isolation is a big reason why there
is no physical man-made barrier on the border in almost all of Texas, and across many other
stretches in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. It's tough to get an exact figure, as itâs
ever changing and poorly recorded, but currently, only about a third of the border is secured
with a barrier. In fact, the majority of that third takes
the form of a vehicle barrier, intended only to stop a car or truck from driving across
the border, rather than a full pedestrian barrier. Generally thereâs only a pedestrian barrier
in heavily populated areas like Brownsville, El Paso, Yuma, and San Diego. Even in these populated areas, one doesn't
have to go far to find a gap in the wall. Starting from the western end of the border
at the Pacific Ocean, the first wall-less section appears less than 15 miles or 23 kilometers
to the east, at the first section of steep terrain. Any barrier, though, doesnât tend to be
too much of an issue for smugglers. Often, theyâll have scouts on both sides,
wait for border patrol to leave the area, then install a ladder and quickly climb over. Cartels have been known to go even a step
further and build tunnels under the border. In January, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection
discovered the longest everâa 4,300 foot, 1,300 meter structure stretching from Tijuana
to San Diego. This facility was so advanced that it had
ventilation, electricity, a rail system, and even an elevator. While its unclear exactly who built and operated
this tunnel, in the past, many of these have been linked to large crime syndicates like
the Sinaloa Cartel, demonstrating the unintended consequences that securing the border can
have. Demand for hard drugs is fairly inelastic,
meaning people who consume them are going to buy them no matter the cost. As it gets harder and harder for drugs and
other controlled substances to be smuggled across, the cartels are still going to transport
their product, but theyâre just going to use more advanced tactics. These tactics are going to be too costly or
difficult for smaller smugglers, but the cartels, with their vast resources, will be able to
build tunnels, use drones, or use other tactics, and, with their smaller competition unable
to transport goods, theyâre also going to be able to raise prices. Therefore, thereâs a possibility that making
smuggling harder is helping the largest cartels make more money. A related effect happens with the human side
of smuggling. Naturally, the sections of the border that
are most secured are those that are easiest to crossâthose near population centers,
roads, and areas with less treacherous terrain. That means that, as the border is secured,
that pushes migrants to more and more remote areas, where the chances of injury or death
are higher and higher. One of the more common places for migrants
to now cross into the US is the Sonoran Desert. This area is incredibly desolate and harsh,
with high temperatures in the summer rarely dipping below 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38
degrees Celsius, and winter nighttime lows dipping below freezing. The most accessible section, next to a Mexican
Federal Highway, has a pedestrian fence preventing crossing. As these data show, this is effective at pushing
migrants further to the east. After getting dropped off near the border
on the Mexican side, migrants will fairly immediately cross the border, which is usually
one of the easiest components of their trips. The closest roads in the US to the border
in this area are Highways 85 and 86, but, as there are so few roads here, these are
major chokepoints where migrants could be caught. In addition, US Customs and Border Protection
have internal checkpoints, where they question drivers and, potentially, pull them aside
for search to determine if anyone is undocumented or smuggling illegal substances. Therefore, at the very least, migrants need
to walk twenty to thirty miles to Highway 86 in order to avoid the internal checkpoint. Many might go further, all the way to Interstate
8, with the end goal of making it to Phoenix or Tucson. As soon as a migrant gets to one of these
spots, it is far easier to blend into the crowd as both cities have large immigrant
populations. From there, theyâll be able to catch public
transportation to their final destination. Many, however, donât make it that farâand
not because they are caught by border patrol. This map, showed earlier, displays the site
of every confirmed migrant death in Arizona. The true number, as these only represent those
that are found, is likely devastatingly higher. Every year, many hundreds of individuals die
on their journey to a better life. In response to the staggering death toll in
this area, different groups have initiated efforts to help those that are dehydrated,
hypothermic, or otherwise injured. The US Customs and Border Protection Agency
itself built a system of alert beacons in this desert that those in distress can activate. In response, agents are supposed to arrive
and help the individual, but, of course, in the end, they will be deported if they lack
legal status. Other, non-governmental groups have also initiated
efforts. One of the major causes of death is dehydration,
with there being essentially no natural water source in this area, so humanitarian groups
have set up water stations at spots in the desert that migrants can use if theyâre
in a dire situation. Of course, both of these interventions are
controversialâhumanitarian groups say that the beacons are tricking migrants into getting
themselves arrested since thereâs no clear indication that itâs border patrol that
will arrive and ultimately arrest them, rather than an ambulance or a humanitarian group,
while the border patrol says that the water stations push migrants to further continue
their dangerous journey where they might perish due to another situation, such a hypothermia,
therefore putting them at further risk. At the end of the day, though, both of these
interventions deal with the downstream effect of illegal immigration, rather than the actual
source cause of it. True, complete, physical border security can
work somewhat. It certainly cannot stop illegal immigration,
but it does curb it to an extent, but it is hugely expensive and almost certainly is not
the easiest solution. The cause of illegal immigration is not that
the border isnât secured, and itâs not even that the countries that migrants come
from are impoverished or dangerous. The cause of illegal immigration is that legal
immigration is not an option. Nobody wants to risk their life just to move
to a new country and live in fear of deportation for the rest of their life. When Americans want to move to Canada, for
example, they donât sneak across the border, they donât live undocumented for the rest
of their life, restraining themselves to only certain, low-paid jobs. They take the easier route, the legal route,
because they can. If they are denied, it is generally due to
certain qualifications they lack, so they go off and gain those qualifications. Many people in Mexico, Central America, and
other less-wealthy areas, meanwhile, simply donât even have the option of migrating
to the US legally. There is no reasonable, legal path like Americans
have for Canada. Canada, a country whoâs immigration system
certainly is not perfect, has essentially halted illegal immigration, despite bordering
a country home to tens of millions of undocumented migrants. They certainly donât let everyone who wants
to live there indefinitely do so, but they at least have a reasonable, feasible path
to legal status for anyone no matter their country of origin or economic situation. When they can go through the safe, legal route,
thereâs no good reason for people to migrate illegally. Building physical systems to stop illegal
immigration might make sense if it were a physical problem, but itâs not. People donât cross the border outside official
channels because itâs physically possible. Thatâs a pull factor, but illegal immigration
is caused by push factors. Itâs a social problem, so to solve it, and
cut it down, you need social systems, such as a real immigration system that gives opportunities
to all, not just those that are lucky. Your virtual identity is more important than
ever, especially as business is increasingly conducted online. Just as you present yourself right when working
in person by showering, shaving, and dressing well, you want to be sure youâre presenting
yourself right online, and one of the best ways that I use to do that is a custom domain
for my website and email. I buy all my domains through Hover, as they
have clear, fair pricing, a super-fast search and purchase process, and over 400 domain
extensions that make it super easy to find a super-unique domain. For example, all of my companyâs emails
end in @wendover.productions rather than a typical .com or .net domain. You can make your email address or website
stand out by doing this too, and itâs worth doing now because every day, more and more
domains are taken. Hoverâs pricing is so fair that whenever
I have an idea for something new, the first thing I do is buy the corresponding domain
to be sure itâs not taken by someone else. Whether itâs the name of your YouTube channel,
your business, or just your actual name, buy your domain and improve your online identity
now for 10% off by going to hover.com/wendover, and youâll be supporting the channel while
youâre at it.
Since he already made videos on how to stop an epidemic and how to stop a riot, we know whats up next in 2020 xD
I feel like this video should have been longer than it was.
Man the youtube comments were something
Social solution: Actually help Mexico sort out their cartel problem and make it a less "shithole" country (no offense intended to Mexicans here) so people wouldn't feel compelled to need to escape from their country. i.e. Get rid of the push factor.
Open up the borders, stop having them be closed.
We can get One Billion Americans!
How to stop illegal immigration according to this video: make it not illegal.
Congress approved a humanitarian aid plan for migrants at the US-Mexico border, but the political crisis over how to deal with migrants attempting to reach the US continues.
The comparison to Canada at the end is odd to me.
Practically speaking, is it really easier for a Mexican to immigrate to Canada, as claimed in the video? If so, why not just "do it" instead of trying to sneak into the US?
Also after all, Canada isn't physically bordered with Mexico. If they do, will their policy still be the same?
Disclaimer: I am not from any of the three countries.