- Claim: Trump says he is going to shut down the border. Fact: It would be nearly impossible to shut down the entire border. He had backed off this idea already as of 4/13/19.
- Claim: Building more wall will prevent drug trafficking. Fact: Most drugs from Mexico come through official ports of entry.
- Claim: More immigrants are illegally crossing. Fact: The number of illegal crossings is down—and has been down…[D]ata show apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped sharply since a 2000 peak. In other words, even with the crush of Central Americans, the broader picture is still a downward one.
- Claim: Most illegal immigration is coming from the Mexico border. Fact: More illegal immigration occurs through people overstaying their visas…In 2016, an estimated 320,000 visitors to the U.S….who had temporary visas overstayed them. Most of these arrived by airplane.
- Claim: Trump has been securing our borders by building more walls. Fact: Not one new linear mile of border wall has been completed under Trump as of April 9, 2019. Questions arise on whether the new constructions represent a fence or a wall, and how to classify them if the new construction replaced an old one.
This information comes from The Los Angeles Times, “Five misconceptions about the U.S.-Mexico border,” reprinted in the Seattle Times, April 9, 2019, as “Close Up.” The words in italics are mine.