I think there’s no question that the barriers, the fences and in certain urban areas, the walls, have had an important effect in terms of increasing the manageability and the security of the border.
ALAN BERSINCross-border trade is part of a single production process, and while apparently the Trump administration will seek to re-examine elements of that production platform, it is what it is and won’t be easily dismantled.
More Alan Bersin Quotes
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In the course of 25 years, we have developed a constructive relationship with Mexico that was nonexistent before.
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We should be wary, particularly with our closest friends and allies, of breaking down the trust and confidence that lie at the foundation of relationships.
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We must rely on our allies and foreign governments to share information and data to secure our country.
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People should remember that Mexican migration is now at a net negative.
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To add insult to injury, most Americans never knew that, and most Mexicans have never forgotten it.
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It has gone from being a sending country for migrants to a transit country, and increasingly a receiving country for migrants in its own right.
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Migration should take place in accordance with lawful norms and secure and safe procedures.
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And there are places on the border, such as the Arizona desert or the open terrain around the Big Bend in South Texas, where Mother Nature has created her own barrier that is not easily passable. Or if you do pass through it, you are easily detected.
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Four out of five border-crossers detained in South Texas are Guatemalan, Honduran or Salvadoran. They are driven by violence and poverty in their home countries and the desire for family reunification.
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We have to secure the flow of goods and people by engaging with foreign entities.
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We do a trillion dollars in trade among the three countries; more than 18,000 American companies are involved in foreign direct investment in Mexico and Canada.
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And we have to work together to secure the continent in order to keep dangerous people and dangerous things out and strengthen perimeter security on a continental basis.
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To the extent that President Trump means strengthened border security, I am fully in favor of the idea that the rule of the law, secure borders and public safety should prevail. Drugs should not enter illegally.
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Walls and barriers alone are insufficient to insure security.
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In the last generation we’ve moved past a U.S.-Mexico relationship that while friendly on the surface, and demilitarized for the most part, really was not a genuinely cooperative relationship.
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