Brian Wagner
Eng-1102-115
Essay #1- The Border Fence
9/16/13

In the essay “The Fence of Lies” the author Mario Vargas Llosa’s thesis is that the border fence between Mexico and the United States is a bad idea and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Some of the main points he uses to strengthen his argument are that it is purely a political ploy to get officials re-elected, that the fence is far too costly and the construction will never happen, and the money should be spent elsewhere. In addition, we should allow immigrants an open door policy into our country because of the immense contribution they make to our economy and that they are willing to do the jobs that most Americans will not. Vargas Llosa’s most compelling argument is that
Where do we even begin to help and is it really our problem? Why should the taxpayers of the America be responsible for an undertaking of that size and is it even possible? I think these are reasonable questions to ask oneself and if looked at logically will find this a ridiculous proposal that has no validity.
Another argument Vargas Llosa made, that “if, by some miracle, it is built, it will serve for absolutely nothing” (1). He also says in the conclusion of his essay that the “cement monstrosity would soon be as full of holes as Swiss cheese” (11) saying that the fence would not even obstruct migrants determined to get across. He makes a point of saying that the fence would only cover a portion of the border, leaving 1200 miles of open frontier through which people could easily pass over. Well, that is true, however, in those areas where there is not any fence, there are natural obstacles such as large, desolate stretches of desert or mountains with no cities close by to take refuge. All of the major ports of entry are included in the fenced area, which provides at least a moderate obstacle when it comes to illegal crossing. As for the damaging alterations that will happen over time, such as, holes cut into it, sensors could be added in the ground and or in the fence, plus routine patrols done for visual inspection. To say that the fence would do