Replies

1. If flight 93 had hit the Congress the borders would be closed.

2. BTW, just HOW logistically and legislatively would closing the borders be done?

3. I am ignorant to the details of the debate on CLOSING the border, not a immigration debate, but actual closing, would it be temporary, permanent, would their have to be soldiers, natl guard, police, ect.?

1. Probably. With Congress, nothing is certain.
2. Realistically, no border can be full sealed. The NK-SK border is some of the most heavily patrolled and mined land in the history of the species, yet a few still manage to get across. Practically there are lots of alternatives. Triple fencing, armed UAV patrols, a wide variety of sensor arrays, employment for welfare recipients, etc. I might favor a 100 km wide dangerous game preserve stretching from San Diego to Brownsville, gaps only at legal crossing points. Running a gauntlet of lions and tigers and bears would give even the most determined terrorist pause.
3. I would say temporary, only for the duration of the WOT.

BTW, just HOW logistically and legislatively would closing the borders be done?

There are two ways to cross the border. The first is thru a legal entry point and the second is in between those points. The laws already exist making it illegal to come into the country anywhere other than an authorized entry point, so no legislation is needed to shut that down. What is needed is a barrier, surveillance using a combo of eyeballs & electronics, and reaction elements. That costs money, but if the $ were appropriated, border crossings at places other than legal entry points could be shut down cold. And it doesn't take a lot of specialized personnel or training to do so.

At the legal entry points, the problem is to weed out people with false IDs or on watch-lists or who are smuggling something in. And you also want to facilitate legal traffic to keep the economy going. That takes more sophisticated operations with lots of well trained agents with dogs, chemical sniffers and so on. Again, its about $. With enuf $, we can greatly increase the degree of difficulty for smugglers and illegals coming in. It is very doable if we have the will.