I thank you for coming this morning to join us about a conversation about the wall, Border Security, many issues such as immigration, the use economy, Security Issues surrounding the wall here i want to thank our fantastic Communications Team for preparing the video that you just saw, and also further images that you will see. President trump started 2018 by again renewing his call for the wall on the u. S. Southern border with mexico. This was one of his key Campaign Promises at the time calling for a structure running the entire length of the 2000mile u. S. Mexico border. And arguing that mexico will pay the price tag for the wall. Recently, some of the administrations wording has changed including that the structure could look more like a fence, there are some indications the president might prepare a seethrough structure, and as well that perhaps the better your might not run the entire 2000mile length. You saw some of the very difficult terrain in the previous images and a difficult that is to do. And it might merely replace the existing 700mile fence, perhaps with some 200mile extension, at least in the initial ten years with a price tag that the administration estimates correctly at 18 billion. U. S. Dollars of course. There are vast differences in the price, something we can talk about in the question and answers, but this probably a safe guess 18 billion is significant underestimate of the actual cost, especially if one factors in the need for repairing the structure as is always the case. It will also imply very difficult and highly problematic tradeoff such as taking money away from the coast guard. The president has once again said mexico will pay for the border wall which it will not. Theres no way to make mexico pay for the wall, nor is it at all politically feasible for any Mexican Government to agree to such a proposition, especially in a president ial election year. But more fundamentally, the wall is not simply about the money that is being spent. There are many of the cost to go far beyond the financial goals and is not going to accomplish the promises that the president has made. It will not enhance u. S. Security. It will not stop contraband or people reaching the United States. And its going to previous economic wellbeing. While it will fail at great expense in those costs, it comes with other problems such as hurting the rights of use border communities, native American Communities as well as damaging the environment. Why will the wall not stop the flow of drugs . For the very same reason the existing fence doesnt stop it. Traffic will simply go above, around and below. They will use goes, not just drones to flow drugs over and they will would build tidal cye under the wall. Even if the land border could somehow be made more security and technology are not available, traffickers would simply smuggle drugs and people in trucks going far down the u. S. Coastline come up the u. S. Coast i should say. Drugs and contraband as well as people being smuggled into the United States will go through the legal ports of entry of which there are 52. Already most, the vast majority of the amount of drugs smuggled into the United States from mexico that doesnt come by mail such as fentanyl from china, comes to the legal ports of entry. These ports of entry process literally millions of people, cars, trucks and trains every week. And something that physically feasible to check all this movement of people and goods, even if improving the quality and speed and efficiency of searches at ports of entry. Crucial, far more important that any physical structure between the ports of entry. Why will the wall not enhance u. S. Criminal groups . Its farmer crucial dependent on good cooperation with mexico. Today mexico turns many undocumented americans, very a forge a people who try to come to the United States, then what is turned the u. S. Mexico border. If mexico drops this cooperation that was very hard to achieve and took long time, many more people would be tempting to cross into the United States. Similarly, security against Drug Trafficking groups, criminal groups very much depends on the United States finally being able to build up good cooperation, intelligence sharing, ability to mount joint coordinated actions and also crucially the capacity of the United StatesLaw Enforcement institutions to work with their colleagues in mexico to help reduce the corruption and increase efficiency of those Law Enforcement institutions in mexico. All of that would be lost if the administration resorts to very hostile relations, very hostile environment with mexico. Building of this cooperation took decades. It was very difficult and there were some very cold moment in the u. S. Mexico relations, and people like ambassador in the audience worked very hard to improve that cooperation. That could easily be lost. Far more important in fact, been secreted from trafficking is counterterrorism cooperation. And thats something the United States and mexico enjoyed during the cold, difficult times but also involves, in fact, security, enhancing capacity of institutions such as u. S. Coast guard. The far greater terrorist threat is not someone crossing the border from mexico, but very dangerous equipment reaching, for example, u. S. Shores. Get the president wants to take money away from the coast guard from other institutions such as Border Patrol, and to devote to the single structure, by far the least significant element of Border Security. Why does the wall not reduce crime in the United States . Because Violent Crime in the u. S. Is not in any significant way linked to legal and illegal immigration into the United States. Although the President Trump has repeatedly rained against the carnage of crime in the u. S. Cities, over all, u. S. Violent crime has gone substantially down. They are far lower than we were at any point since 1991 with the exception of what he 15 when three cities experience significant spikes in homicides, driving homicides increases entire country. Both in chicago and washington, d. C. Washington d. C. Has since improved. Chicago slightly improved. Both this you have highs per capita murder rate in a long time. But in none of the three cities it was immigration or, whether document or undocumented, immigrants that drove the rise in Violent Crime. Rather, the three cities had in common was high income and racial inequality, declining populations, high poverty and unemployment rates, well above the national average, and very historic trouble relations between residents and police. These conditions are conducive to rise in crime. There is no evidence whatsoever that undocumented residents account for significant amount of crime, Violent Crime in the United States. In fact, the vast majority of criminal studies consistently show that most homicides and most Violent Crime in the u. S. Are several times the rate is perpetrated by nativeborn americans. Instead it is the kind of anticommunity policing that the Trump Administration is promoting, attacking sanctuary cities such as new york have far lower homicide rates than many nonsanctuary cities. Pardoning police lawbreakers such as sheriff joe arpaio, and crucially forcing local Police Departments to prioritize rates in latino communities, hunting down even peaceful, productive undocumented residents that jeopardize use of improvement in u. S. Law enforcement and years of improvement in violent time in the country. There is evidence across the United States and, in fact, across all countries that if people begin to question the fairness and legitimacy law of enforcement, they stop reporting crime. And when they stop reporting crime, homicides increased. In fact, the policing practice and immigration rates the president promotes are very likely to worsen crime in the United States. Why do the wall not help the u. S. Economy or u. S. Workers . Yes, there is some evidence that immigration has some negative effects on a small segment of the u. S. Population, namely High School Dropouts and prior immigrants. They often compete for the very same jobs as low skill jobs as the newest immigrants that arrive. However, the right response for the small segment population that are negatively affected in terms of employment, is for us to help them with vocational training, with providing them with medical insurance and other capacity to locate jobs that are more productive and more rewarding. To a large extent undocumented workers work the unpleasant backbreaking chaps the native american workers, that nativeborn workers are not willing to perform. In agriculture, in seafood processing factory, and landscaping or taking care of the elderly and the terminally ill, often very psychological to many jobs as well as hard, physical jobs. These economic sectors will be hurt by mass deportation, but also the quality of life in the u. S. , the quality of u. S. Society will be affected. Crucially, however, immigrant workers have very important net positive effect on the economy. The nativeborn population is declining, both in numbers and in productivity. At the same time the longevity is increasing. What it means is immigrants and their children will account for the vast majority of the future and labor force growth, unless of course the present gets his wit and significantly reduces also legal migration. In this case, however, it will be very significant burdens in terms of expensive benefit such as medicare and social security. Essentially we need migrants that you pay for those benefits so that we, you, i in the future can enjoy them having pay for the period and, in fact, undocumented workers often pay social security, even though they might not be able to draw the benefits of those payments later in the future. Nafta which is under negotiations at the present has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from it has not siphoned off large and osseous jobs. Yes, it has caused some dislocations and forced some workers to find other jobs, but it is created many others. The estimates vary but perhaps today as many as 5 million jobs depend on nafta. Crucially, however, nafta not only creates new jobs, it also enables the creation of integrated value production lines across mexico, the United States and canada which make u. S. Companies more competitive and that creates jobs. But it also allows for the importation of cheaper goods. If nafta ended some of the most disadvantaged u. S. Citizens, those who voted for President Trump, the lower middle class white families will face the greatest burden to the end of nafta because consumer goods will become far more expensive. Certain segments of the economy such as manufacturing and farming would be particularly badly hurt. Crucially dependent on exports to mexico and canada. But there are other costs that we often dont have very much about, and that, for example, native communities you saw pictures before hand that are 26 recognized in the u. S. , eight Indigenous People in mexico who live along the border wall, or the existing fence, cuts through the tribal homeland. Separates family members from the relatives and the damages than an takes them from their sacred site and it damages the environment. The border area, places a big band use images from as well as the socalled sky islands in arizona and new mexico area are some of the great diversity places in the United States. With perhaps hundreds of animals endangered. The wall does not merely affect those u. S. Border communities and the border and private. It has deep reach into the United States. Its that something about the physical structure what about the very nature of society that the United States want to live in. The wall as the president embraces it with his attacks on muslims and other communities, with his resentment towards nafta, excessively about creating a physical structure but creating barriers and divisions in ones mind and promoting politics of exclusion and bigotry, the very opposite of the american dream. [applause] thank you so much for being here today. Were hoping its going to be an exciting panel, thoroughly public. Its been in the news all weeklong piccolo probably be in the news as debate gets going on all the different bills for a daca six of those of a lot of things that get intertwined here, and were hoping that will shed some light on the deeper issues that underlying the discussion over the border wall or Border Security, and then we want to hear from you guys, what your concerns are, what your questions are. And hopefully the congressman will be able to shed some light behind the scenes thats going on. He was at the white house with 24, 25 of the lawmakers meeting with President Trump talking about budget talks, to avert a government shutdown, finding a Common Ground to provide relief or legalization for dreamers as well as also strengthening Border Security. So we are hoping that you take away a lot of important ideas and thoughts about whats going on on the hill and at the white house, and most importantly, along the border. So thank thank you, lets get t going. So i thought we would begin the discussion just basically by explaining whats going on in terms of basic things like definitions picky talked about poor security. You understand something very differently than the president apparently does in terms of what just Border Security to fix i thought we would begin about just getting to definitions. We talked about all the issues you raised in your essay and right now. We talked about what problem is really come is the wall really trying to solve if border crosses are down, if the drug traffickers will continue to evade authorities or finding ways to get their drugs in . Eminent domain, you know, there are 90 losses been according to your account, and all obviously the evolving nature of the stress to your security like terrorism and Drug Trafficking. So first of all, definitions. What does the president meeting by the border wall . How do you achieve operational control of the border . And if 18 billion is enough, what is the price tag when you get down with the maintenance and repairs and so forth . Thank you. I will let you, congressman, speak about what the president means by the wall. You most recently were with him. Clearly his view has changed. I mentioned in my opening remarks that for a long time during the campaign and into his first year he appeared to be insisting on a brick and cement physical structure. Perhaps there is some movement now in terms that he prefers some seethrough structure. And the administration for as i know has never specified what it means by Border Security, has never provided a definition. I would, however, argue are a lot of Border Security does that take place at the border. In fact, takes place far away from the border. In terms of screening of people who come to yes on visas, for example, but also in terms of cooperation with countries that could be sources of flows into the United States. And cooperation with neighbors. I spoke about the necessary cooperation with mexico, and the fact that a lot of the control takes place actually on the mexico Central America border i spoke about the longterm u. S. Mexico counterterrorism cooperation that survived the case that you been very, very difficult relationship with intelligence agencies sharing information and being able to apprehend suspicious or dangerous individuals far away from the border, in fact, in the territory. So a lot of modern secreted takes place very far away from the border, and the physical structure on the border itself is merely a very temporary delay at best for any flows of either dangerous contraband or people. First of all, thank you so much for allowing me to be with you all and brookings institute, think again for a light as to be a i want to point out somebody in the audience. I think ambassador back there, anthony, and i say this because i learned a lot from him when he was the ambassador. Let me talk about some of the points. When we met with the president i told the present let me use a a football analogy about the border. If you use football as an analogy, are you going to play defense on on the one yard lin, which we call the u. S. Mexico border . We spend right now 18 billion roughly on Border Security when you include everything. The present wants to add 18 billion for defense. Keeping in mind we spent 18 billion total right now for Border Security. Thats the budget for cbp . Cbp, i. C. E. , anything we spent on the border when you combine altogether. Now, if you play defense, and i say offense also, you have to go, you seem, using football as an analogy, play on the 20yard line instead of the one yard line, what does it mean . Exactly what you said. You expand the perimeter, and that is you work with countries that can help you. When people talk about the southern border strategy, i always remind, this might look familiar, is the southern border strategy that mexico has with wada moloch. Because guatemala. If youre trying to stop think some coming in you use the 20yard