A border wall is 'shortsighted,' says top Coast Guard admiral

U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
(Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)

There's one big problem with the idea of a wall on America's southern border, the Coast Guard's top admiral says: Illegal immigration and drug trafficking happens across maritime borders, too.

Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, said that it will take more than a wall to cut illegal immigration in the way that President Trump envisions. "I think we'd be shortsighted to think that if we build a wall that will end all the drivers for illegal migration," he said. "If you can't come across a terrestrial border between Mexico and the United States, then go around it."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"So when you look at a wall, I mean, that is a clear defensive posture, and it's a physical barrier. But what other barriers or what borders exists beyond that wall, and that is maritime borders," said Zukunft. The admiral called for more proactive measures to stop drug trafficking at its root, The Hill reports, and said that the Coast Guard would well-poised to take such measures if it received more funding. Some lawmakers have agreed, such as Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.): "If you want to go where the problem is, fund the Coast Guard," he said last week.

Explore More
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.