10 THE COURIER SUN • MARCH 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM THE IMPACT Trump: Building Walls Instead of Bridges BY STATE SENATOR JAMES SANDERS JR. It has been nearly 30 years since President Ronald Regan famously said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” commanding the leader of the Soviet Union to remove the barrier which had divided East and West Berlin since 1961, and had prevented people from seeking opportunities or escaping oppression. Now, we have President Donald Trump who is seeking to build a “great, great wall,” on America’s Southern border with Mexico. The Commander-in- Chief has said the 1,300 mile structure is meant to keep out “criminals, drug dealers, and rapists.” In a world already riddled with fortified borders, America will be making itself an unexceptional member of the pack of fearful, closed nations. Having said that, let’s take a look at Trump’s crude reason for the wall, one that ignores the facts. Drug cartels prefer to use legal checkpoints rather than risk their resources by traveling over treacherous mountains or desert crossings. For example, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 161,000 pounds of cocaine at legal checkpoints on the U.S-Mexico border from 2005 to 2011, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting, more than double the amount confiscated by Border Patrol for the same time period. In addition, a wall would not address the large number of immigrants who overstay legal visas. Creating extra restrictions on border crossings will weaken what is, at the moment, a thriving economy on the Mexican side of the border, creating exactly the sort of conditions that lead people to emigrate north in search of work. As with the Muslim ban, the wall is a signal to white America that the Hispanic “other” is being kept out of the country. It symbolizes that, far from being friends, neighbors and productive members of American society, Hispanics are parasites to be kept out at all costs. In Queens’ 5th Congressional District, the total population, according to the U.S. Census is 779,896, and of that 164,851 are Latino and of that 9,204 are Mexican. Immigration advocacy groups like Make the Road New York, and politicians in Queens have denounced the wall, even calling Trump hypocritical. There are many proposed alternatives to Trump’s wall, the most important one being immigration reform to allow a pathway to citizenship. We could also increase police supervision of visa overstays and work with the Mexican government on a program to make it easier to obtain work visas. Also, we could examine the prospect of allowing crimes committed in the U.S. or Mexico to be prosecuted in either country, according to the laws of said country. With so much opposition and so many alternatives to the wall, plus its astronomical cost, I say we tear down this plan before the first brick hits the ground. The Impact is State Senator James Sanders’ weekly column explaining President Trump’s policies and their effects on Southeast Queens Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.10% 7-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.25% 13-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account.2 Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile3 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you. 1. New money only. APY effective January 19, 2017. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. 2. A Flushing Bank checking account with a $5,000 minimum balance is required to receive the advertised rate. Certain fees, minimum balance requirements and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 3. Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Mobile carrier fees may apply. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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