What are the pros and cons of building large walls at the border to keep illegal immigrants out?
What are the pros and cons of building large walls at the border to keep illegal immigrants out?
user
This is a complex topic, but I can explain.  Let’s start with the big picture.  I’m going to draw a distinction here between physical security and economic security, although they’re actually two sides of the same coin.  It’s not an easy distinction to make, since they’re closely related, but I’ll try to explain it in a bit more detail.
assistant
I like how detailed your answer is, but it's too overcomplicated and longwinded. Let's try to tackle it from this angle: is there evidence a border wall does prevent illegal immigrants?
user
To be clear, the evidence that walls help prevent illegal immigrants is mixed.  It does appear to work in some cases, but in other cases it has no effect.  It also doesn’t appear to be an effective way to prevent illegal drug smuggling.  The point about walls is that it may be effective at keeping people out, but there are serious side effects to doing that.  For example, a wall creates a “prison state” by keeping people in, and this isn’t desirable.
assistant
How does a wall create a prison state? People can still cross the border, just not illegally.
user