“When Mexico is sending its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing drugs. They’re rapists….,” stated Donald J. Trump  on June 16, 2015. Trump shutdown the government for 35 days because of that belief. He wants Democrats to give him a budget with $5.7 billion dollars for the country’s southern border wall. The wall is for border security and to keep the country safe.

Trump’s campaign was made and built on this statement, “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall,” said Trump in his presidential announcement speech. Now the wall is at the cost of Federal employees who are working without pay because of the government shutdown. The government shutdown was a waste of tax dollars and was a political stunt because the wall is unnecessary. Also it was inappropriate to shutdown one of the most powerful governments in the world for a wall that will not work.

I do understand the other side of this argument, that the southern border wall is important for security of our country and the citizens. I also understand that people have to protect their jobs and businesses on the border while trying to keep drugs out as well.

However, the wall would not be necessary because drugs are smuggled through legal ports of entry. Also, it is said that terrorists are coming from Mexico and are endangering the US. However,  from the information I found from the Center of Immigration Studies “from only public realm reporting, 15 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, or en route, since 2001.” This shows that the wall would be stopping few terrorists because of the small numbers from the southern border.

 The wall would not serve a purpose. U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, from the 17th Congressional District, stated that “the facts are, the majority of opioids and all kinds of other things that are connected to the opioids are coming through the [legal] point of entry.” She has also stated “the fence, the wall, the concrete wall that the president is talking about, from most of the experts, doesn’t make a difference.” If a US Representative states that it is unnecessary with the information that the drugs are coming from the points of entry, then the wall is not going to be doing any good for the country’s taxpayers. It will just cost more money.

Trump has signed a bill reopening the government for three weeks, but he still has the idea of getting the $5.7 billion from Democrats for the southern border wall. However, the damage is already done. Federal agencies such as the FBI faced major disruptions that risked compromising a number of investigations. The TSA also went through major staff shortages, which in result closed a number of airports. Also the economic growth was severely reduced by billions of dollars.

According to reports from the New York Times the Congressional Budget Office stated on Monday, January 28 that “the government shutdown cost the United States economy $11 billion dollars, nearly a quarter of that total permanently lost.” The government shutdown cost American taxpayers too much money and in the end the shutdown was a political stunt. With the government only being reopened until February 15th we have to make sure our Representatives understand the people they represent. I want you as a citizen of the United States to be involved and check the government that leads us.