Mr. President, build up this wall!

The price of a compromise immigration bill in the Senate appears to be a wall along the southern border with Mexico. A wall that would be the most elaborate fortified border since the one built by the old USSR to separate East and West Germany.

A Republican amendment would require a 700-mile wall, patrolled by 40,000 border patrol guards. The fortified border separating East and West Germany – not counting the Berlin wall – was 866 miles with 50,000 guards. And you have to admit – it worked pretty well. Although it required the guards to be a little more ruthless than I assume our guards would be.

Republicans like Senator Bob Corker said adding that to the bill should make it clear to those Republicans who have doubts that the bill is dead serious about border security.

“We are investing resources in securing our border that have never been invested before. Doubling again, our border patrol,” said Corker.

Under the bill – all of that would have to happen in advance of granting green card status to immigrants already here.

But the Washington Post estimates the total cost of that fence at $30 billion – which means trouble in the House of Representatives where the tea party contingent is dead set against deficits and where the bill has plenty of enemies already.

Although, if they really ARE against deficits – there is that report from the Congressional Budget Office which estimated that passing the Senate Bill would cut the deficit by $875 billion over the next twenty years. Something about how the economies that create the most wealth are those that actually welcome young hard-working people.