Building wall ‘a waste of money’

NEW YORK: Donald Trump rode to the top of the Republican ticket promising a “big, beautiful, powerful” border wall with Mexico to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants. Along that border, however, Americans are more likely to call the wall a “waste of money”, according to a Reuters/ Ipsos opinion poll.

The results show that while the New York businessman may have expected his tough stance on immigration to fire up support nationally, it seems to be falling short in a state heavily affected by illegal immigration, and where he is now facing a surprising challenge from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Asked if a wall would be “an effective barrier or a waste of money,” 47% of Arizona residents picked “waste of money” and 34% picked “effective barrier”, with the rest picking neither, according to the poll. Among Republicans, 21% picked “waste of money” and 57% picked “effective barrier”.

Most Arizonans also believed it is not realistic to expect Mexico to pay for the wall, something Trump has vowed would happen if he’s elected president on November 8.

Humane

The results lined up closely with nationwide opinions of Trump’s immigration policy: 49% of American adults say the wall would be a “waste of money” and 31% say it would be an “effective barrier”.

“As big and powerful, as rich as this nation is, we cannot just leave the door open,” said Tony Estrada, Santa Cruz County Sheriff, who has served in law enforcement in the border county for 49 years. “But, we need a realistic and humane process. Donald Trump is catering to people’s fear.”

Polls show that Arizona, a state that has voted Democrat only once in a presidential election since 1952, has become competitive. The Real Clear Politics average of polls showed Clinton ahead there by 1.3 percentage points. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows Trump ahead there by 4 points.

Clinton’s campaign said it would spend $2 million (R28million) more campaigning in Arizona before the election. Arizona’s border with Mexico is 595km long, covering an isolated desert terrain that has drawn millions seeking to cross illegally.

The state’s number of undocumented immigrants has fallen 35% from a 2007 peak to 325000, according to the Pew Research Center, as Arizona cracked down on that population. Nationwide, the number has dropped 9% from a high in 2007 to 11.1 million undocumented immigrants.

Wendy Cornacchio, a 45 year-old Trump supporter from Phoenix, said she believes illegal immigration is still a problem, but she would rather see technologies like drone surveillance than Trump’s wall to address it. “The concept of closing the borders I agree with,” she said.

Florida is another state that has seen large levels of illegal immigration, by sea rather than by land. Some 41% of voters there said they believed Trump’s wall would be a “waste of money”; 36% thought it an “effective barrier”. – Reuters