Illegal Immigration and Border Policy In recent years, Illegal immigration has been a contemporary political and social debate. It has been the platform of many politicians, especially in the southwest, and it is often a popular subject in news media. People in favor of strict immigration policy often claim that illegal immigrants are costly to the American economy and that they take American jobs. The border control policy is ineffective, it is often too costly for its effectiveness. Border policies have increased the number of immigrant deaths in the deserts of border states. Not only that but the US/Mexico border is harmful to the environment. The anti-immigration policy that's currently in effect goes against a rich cultural history in North America. Lastly, popular arguments made for strict immigration will be brought to light. In 2006, George W. Bush signed H.R. 6061, also known as the Secure Fence Act, in an attempt to increase border security and expand the US/Mexico Border. Prompted by heightened national security measures after 9/11, the bill was designed to "help protect the American people" and marked " an important step toward immigration reform" (Bush 2006). The bill doubled funding for border security, increasing expenditures from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 billion in 2006. This money went to "[authorize] the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our Southern border" and to "[deploy] thousands of National Guard members to assist the Border Patrol" (Whitehouse.gov 2006). The militarization and expansion of the border were the key features to this bill and received the praise of many Republican politicians. Despite the praise received for these strict immigration policies, the multi-billion dollar border expansion projects fail to completely shut down immigration from Mexico to the United States. Individual reports