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Letter: Ask Border Patrol agents about a wall

(Gregory Bull | AP) In this March 11, 2019 photo, construction crews replace a section of the primary wall separating San Diego, above right, and Tijuana, Mexico, below left, seen from Tijuana, Mexico. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border.

The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board published an editorial Sept. 7 titled “Get over the wall.” The article stated, “But a border wall is not only not necessary, it is a particularly bad idea that the president will just not let go of.”

Did anyone who wrote this opinion piece contact any official of the Customs and Border Patrol Agency? Did anyone talk to any Border Patrol agent?

First of all, nobody wants 2,000 miles of border wall. But Border Patrol officials have said many times that they want see-through fencing at strategic places along the border. This is just one tool to better help them do their jobs.

Robert Perez, CBP deputy commissioner, said about 30% of the people who are apprehended at our southern border by Border Patrol agents are members of drug cartels, human traffickers, gang members and other criminals.

As the men and women at the border are doing a very dangerous job trying to protect the rest of us, shouldn’t someone listen to them?

Also in this article is the phrase describing the wall as, “his (Trump) monument to xenophobia.” Barack Obama built 137 miles of wall. Did any editorial staff member have a problem with Obama building a wall? By your standards, doesn’t this make Obama a xenophobe?

But then this article isn’t really about the wall or defense spending. It’s about Trump, isn’t it?

Susan Rounds, Midvale

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