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Home Front: Culture Wars
Trump's Border Closure Would Devastate Texas, Maybe Some Others
2019-04-03
[Dallas News] -- Experts and business leaders pull no punches in describing the damage a U.S.-Mexico border closure would inflict on the economy, using words like "catastrophic," "disaster" and "havoc."
Anybody suggest $5.7 billion to build the wall would've been a better deal?
Well over $1 billion in trade crosses the U.S.-Mexico line every day, according to the U.S. government. The cross-border commerce also supports more than 4.5 million American jobs, according to a study prepared for the Business Roundtable.
Any word on the impact to Mexico? Perhaps they might re-think their we-don't-let-the-Gringos-tell-us-what-to-do approach?
Even a partial shutdown of the border by President Donald Trump - some bridges closed, far fewer agents performing inspections, leading to more hours-long waits to cross - can have a biting effect on the economy and everyday life along the border.
Or, like a lot of the-sky-is-falling predictions, maybe it'll only be a little bit, or for a little while.
Already frustrated by Trump’s tariffs, which have prompted retaliatory levies from Mexico and other countries, the business community in Texas and beyond is now bracing for things to get worse.
I thought the tariffs issue was resolved? Did the MSM cover that?
Trump has said he’d close the border as soon as this week in response to what he sees as a failure by Mexican authorities to stop waves of Central American migrants from crossing into the U.S. Apprehensions at the border have reached a 12-year high, and many of the detained are families and children.
All of whom have been suckered into the journey by the Dems and the Media.
The migrants have the legal right to request asylum once in the U.S.. But they’re overwhelming shelters and, the government says, putting a strain on the Border Patrol.
The Border Patrol says it too, not just the Orange Man Bad. But the media, apparently, disagrees.

Following many examples of imminent catastrophe, the News allows -
In short, the system unravels without Mexico’s participation. Substantial layoffs and slowed economic growth would be all but certain if a shutdown were to last very long, experts said.
Might be a pretty big if. Ask China.
The only near equivalent to what Trump is proposing came in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when ongoing security concerns prompted President George W. Bush’s administration to order 100 percent inspections at ports of entry. The effort turned into a quagmire, effectively shutting down the border with massive lines.
Silly Bush!
Margie Fuentes, 31, was going to have dinner with a friend from across the border this week, but when she checked an app and saw that pedestrian lines were about three hours long, said, "I'm thinking breakfast or lunch may be better."

"This is insane," she added. "People don't understand that we're really one city."

And, in a sense, one economy, too.
But not one nation. Anybody want to think about that wall yet?
Posted by:Bobby

#22  this country will suddenly become these knuckle dragging politician's worst nightmare.

America's Gaza.
Posted by: Skidmark   2019-04-03 22:30  

#21  Maybe a wiff of grapeshot.
Posted by: SR-71   2019-04-03 17:20  

#20  Media's worried about avocados.
Ah'm worried about Tequila.
Posted by: Skidmark   2019-04-03 14:12  

#19  I prefer the answer of "Handle it like the Romans."
Posted by: Silentbrick   2019-04-03 13:34  

#18  War is always expensive. We are at war whether the dimwits in Congress understand it or not. We can take the Chamberlain approach or the Churchill approach. I prefer Churchill.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2019-04-03 13:25  

#17  It's difficult to bluff when folks on your own size are too stupid to undersatnd the point.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2019-04-03 12:31  

#16  What's it going to cost us/day if we don't close the border? If we don't close the border there will hordes coming across every day.
Posted by: JohnQC   2019-04-03 11:52  

#15  Well over $1 billion in trade crosses the U.S.-Mexico line every day, according to the U.S. government

Believable, considering the amount of meth available.

the business community in Texas and beyond is now bracing for things to get worse.

I know, the people of Houston and Austin having to mow their own lawns right?

You know this whole thing is bullshit when the talking heads threaten an avocado crisis. And poor Margie, not able to go to dinner. Sikofthisitman.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2019-04-03 10:28  

#14  My fear as well. Let's hope and pray that never happens EC.
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-04-03 10:08  

#13  When the massive fed deficit crashes the economy and everything around all these people turns into slums over night this country will suddenly become these knuckle dragging politician's worst nightmare.
Posted by: Ebbavirt Clunk4147   2019-04-03 08:44  

#12  San Ysidro and Otay Mesa crossings from Tijuana - the back up is around 150 trucks as BP/ICE are pulled from commercial lanes to deal with the influx of illegals.

Almost as if this economic pain is a message to Messico and the Chamber of Commerce that pain will be shared
Posted by: Frank G   2019-04-03 08:37  

#11  sonny g

just having a border crossing can be either good or bad for a city

In the 90s after NAFTA, the Mex-US trade grew rapidly and the one border crossing in downtown Laredo started having enormous back ups which actually became a barrier to commerce. In the late 90s a new crossing west of town was opened which handled freight exclusively. The back ups in downtown ended and Laredo's employment grew faster than the US as a whole or Texas as a whole.

In a sense this ended up working too well because by late 2018 many, many Mexicans were crossing into Laredo each day for daytime jobs.
Posted by: lord garth   2019-04-03 08:15  

#10  The cotton trade with the UK was very important for American trade. Sort of zero'd out by 1863 as other events took front stage.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2019-04-03 07:49  

#9  JUST DO IT! DJT, that is why I voted for you! STOP THIS invasion! TAKE care of business, PLEASE. The slugs in in d.c. have been paid off way to long. IMO
Posted by: ranture   2019-04-03 07:43  

#8  This is the same Dallas Morning News that regularly rails about the US taking advantage of the poor in Mexico by sending factory jobs down there. I kind you not.
Posted by: ed in texas   2019-04-03 07:28  

#7  Texans will survive and prosper as more than $100 billion dollars/year stays within US borders.

If trade is so good for America, then why isn't the Texas border region one of the nation's most prosperous, instead of poorest?
Posted by: Sonny Glimp8519   2019-04-03 05:20  

#6  Odysseus or Ulysses the legendary Greek king of Ithaca and our current Washington 'elite' have much in common. Odysseus could not conquer Troy with conventional siege tactics so he build a wooden horse.

The Trojan Horse is a story from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the independent city of Troy and win the war. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside including Odysseus. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, ending the war. Wiki
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-04-03 04:40  

#5  This House and Senate have evaded their responsibility in any possible form. They are now subjecting the Citizens of the United States to a no limits influx of ANYTHING. The US Senate is a leaky condom, and the Democrat house is poking holes in the condoms.
Bad Seed

ANYONE in the Congress supporting this open borders is a Security Risk to their Constituents.
Whether they know it or not. Traitors on your very responsibilities.
You allow this Turmoil on borders?
These are Foreign Nationals! Of Whom, you know not.


If you are a Sitting House or Senate Member in the Entire of the United States, and are not actively stopping this Border Invasion, You have No Position by the Electorate. Now we Deport. Wholesale.

No one told you to invite all of thee People to MY House. Not this way.
Posted by: newc   2019-04-03 01:16  

#4  One Hundred and Fourty One Billion Dollars a Year this kind of Immigration costs.

If you are for this, you are a Traitor.
Period.
Posted by: newc   2019-04-03 01:11  

#3  many of the crossings in Texas are freight only or people only

just keep the former open and the latter closed
Posted by: lord garth   2019-04-03 00:41  

#2  This is like the argument to not defend yourself in a fight because you might bruise your knuckles.

Or the argument to let the rapist 'have his way with you'...
Posted by: CrazyFool   2019-04-03 00:37  

#1  This seems more delusional than anything else. The Mexicans would be hurt harder than we would. The majority of imported US goods come from overseas or Canada, not Mexico. And frankly, economic consequences must be considered only in tandem with national security consequences. I would rather shut the border and have a temporary local economic contraction than permanently open the border to these invaders.
Posted by: Vernal Hatrack2366   2019-04-03 00:26  

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