The writer is a professor of rhetoric at the University of Texas.

It is an absolute fact that on Dec. 14, 1999, Ahmed Ressam, an Al Qaeda operative, was arrested trying to cross the border into the U.S. with a large amount of explosives hidden in the trunk of his car. His intent was to cause death and destruction at Los Angeles International Airport.

If Trump wants to use actual incidents of terrorists being caught at the border as justification to build his wall, he should use the example of Ressam. Of course, Ressam was caught trying to enter the U.S. from Canada.

If Trump’s motive is truly the safety of the U.S. and not another bigoted gesture, he should build his wall on the northern border. Brian Lipson

Beverly Hills

It’s amazing to me that our politicians could squander trillions of dollars fighting wars in the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Libya and elsewhere, but they do not wish to spend $5 billion to go toward protecting our nation’s territorial integrity.

Now, government agencies are being held hostage by very strong-willed and fickle personalities on both sides of the aisle.

Though any border wall can ultimately be circumvented or otherwise crossed, the key point here is to create a deterrent that will at least reduce the traffic of illegal immigrants and even spare them the grave danger of traversing the desert regions of our border.

Our nation is in crisis with illegal immigration. We need to do something to resolve it. Michael Pravica

Las Vegas

Shutting down parts of the federal government as a negotiating strategy is wrong and should be an impeachable offense. The havoc wreaked by Trump also ought to be impeachable.

The government of the United States is at a standstill, and nothing can be accomplished with Trump at the helm. Marcia Barnett

Laguna Beach

Democrats should agree to fund a wall in any area where it is the most efficient solution. How could Trump refuse this?

Just end the shutdown. Bob Gould

Palm Desert