Illegal immigration is out of control, our borders are unprotected

We NEED to build the wall!

Oh my god, Gaby.

How scary!

But he's right!

There are people here illegally, totally wrecking our economy.

A wall could put an end to illegal immigration.

Oh, no, that's super incorrect.

The truth is, a wall would do nothing.

Building a wall would actually increase the number of illegal immigrants in America.

What?!

How can it possibly?

Here, I'll show you!

Just building a wall would be practically impossible.

This, is where it would be.

Oh, no! The doggy!

It would have to stretch over 2,000 miles of rough terrain.

Cutting through mountains, rivers, villages, and even people's homes.

Excuse me, can I use your bathroom?

I'm sorry, it's in Mexico!

And all that destruction is monstrously expensive.

Just building a wall would cost between 15-25 billion dollars.

The goblin has demonic magic.

It would easily be one of the single most expensive piece of infrastructure in American history!

Costing as much as 20 Hoover Dams, or NASA's entire annual budget.

This one small step for man... One giant wall for no reason.

Not to mention the astronomical cost of staffing and maintaining the wall.

Which taxpayers like you and your children will be stuck paying, forever.

I paid for the wall. My father's father paid for the wall. And one day you will pay for the wall.

Because this, is wall war.

Even just faking the wall for our show is prohibitively expensive.

Looks like our CGI budget ran out.

OK. Yes. It may be expensive but that doesn't change the fact that once we build it, it will work.

... Not like you think.

Increasing security at the border, will NEVER stop illegal immigration.

Why not? No one's getting pass me!

Yes they are. Because it's estimated between 27%-40% of all undocumented immigrants in America, came here on PLANES.

I forgot about planes!

These immigrants didn't sneak over the border!

They came here legally! Through passport control, then just overstayed their visas.

and guess what, border walls are not gonna stop them because

reminder: PLANES CAN FLY OVER WALLS.

YOU FOOLS! YOU FORGOT ABOUT PLANES! WE ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT PLANES.

Even by your estimate of VISA over-stays, the wall would still stop about half of American's eleven million illegal immigrants.

No, it wouldn't.

Because of a little something called: circular flow.

Here, I'll show you.

For decades, immigrations to the U.S. was a circular flow.

People would come, work for a bit; and then after they were done, they would go home to their families.

Meet Douglas Messi.

Thanks Adam, my arms are getting pretty tired waiting for my cue.

He's a professor at Princeton, and a pioneering researcher on this topic.

When the Regan Bush administrations drastically increase border enforcement in response to public opinion, they stopped that circular flow.

Not by keeping people out, but by keeping people in.

As it got harder and harder to go back and forth, people crossing the border decided they were much better off just staying in the U.S!

Ah! I left my keys in Mexico!

If I go back to Mexico now, he won't let me back in the U.S.! I guess I'll just stay here. In Tucson.

Ironically, this increase in border enforcement caused a number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States to skyrocket, by 248%.

It's counter-intuitive, but building a wall wouldn't stop people from coming in. It would actually stop them from going back.

In fact, the whole idea of building a border wall is misguided.

The Mexican economy is doing quite well right now.

And population growth is slowed way down.

So there's not much pressure to immigrate.

The number of illegal border crossings, is actually at an all-time low.

If you're a professor, then why are you in the desert?

I'm not, I'm a mirage.

The goblin has a ghost friend!

Look, we already have what has to be the most militarized border between any two nations at peace.

So the real issue of immigration isn't the people coming in.

The fact is, they're already here!

Nearly 1 out of every 30 people in America is an unauthorized immigrant!

The only thing a wall stops, is the discussion of actual solutions.

Oh my god! Adam you're right! The wall isn't the answer!

Good. I'm so glad I could help!

Millions of people are already here.

We need to deport them!

YES! Deportation is the answer.

NO!... that never works...

When we return I'll tell you why deportation is no solution at all on... Alfonso Explains Everything.

Hey guys! Adam here. If you liked that, be sure to watch new episodes of Adam Ruins Everything every Tuesday at 10, on TruTV.