The border wall crisis is not an actual crisis

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On Feb. 15, President Trump declared the building of the US-Mexican border wall a national emergency, allowing him to filter federal funds toward this cause. Due to the excessive media coverage of Trump’s border wall demands, month long rain storms in Los Angeles and below freezing temperatures in the east coast have gone almost completely unmentioned. Many of the U.S.’s most important issues, including climate change, gun violence and gender diversity in the workplace, are far more pressing than the border wall “crisis,” and deserve the same amount of, if not more, attention than this “national emergency.”
Climate change is a destructive phenomena that has already negatively affected our society. Because of the rising populations in developed countries, such as the US, demand for items like meat and plastic have risen. As a result, several industries are over producing goods which can lead to greenhouse gas emissions that pollute Earth’s atmosphere and harm the global population. Society as a whole must be conscious of their carbon footprint. Actions as harmless as sitting in a car with the engine running can heavily damage the environment; media needs to continue to shed light on this growing issue in hopes of educate the public about the environment and how to help it thrive.
Even more, un violence is a controversial topic in U.S. politics today. Roughly a year ago, Parkland High School suffered a massive school shooting, costing the lives of eighteen teens and teachers. This sparked an important conversation about gun violence in the U.S. and potential precautionary measures that could increase the safety of the youth as well as the general population. Little has been done since as firearms remain a huge threat in today’s society. Less than six months ago, one of the neighboring cities of Calabasas, Thousand Oaks fell victim to another mass shooting. In 2019 alone, there have been almost 40 mass shootings in America, and the government needs to respond accordingly, whether that be by altering the second amendments which grants citizens the right to bear arms or by increasing the regulations around purchasing firearms.
Moreover, talk of gender diversity in the workplace has heightened in response to the #MeToo movement. What originally began as a protest against sexual assault in the workplace, the #MeToo movement has grown into something much bigger, challenging the sexist barriers that have held women captive since the founding of this nation. The year 1964 brought about the Civil Rights act which prohibited discrimination in the workplace for sex, ethnicity, religion and race. However, many minorities are still targeted, an issue that affects people of all statuses in the U.S.
With this being said, border security is still relevant. In 2014, an estimated 12.1 million illegal immigrants were found to be residing in U.S., making up about four percent of the the country’s population. However, immigrant reform should not be carried out with the building of walls that are deemed as a “national emergency.”
Overall, the border wall “national emergency” has been extremely prevalent in today’s media, but it should distract from society’s more pressing issues.True emergencies like climate change, gun violence and gender diversity are extremely important and should be immediately addressed.