The comment

With all ears on the Republican Party presidential debate, Vikek Ramaswamy controversially called for building “both walls”- suggesting a wall along the 5,500-mile stretch of the US-Canada border to curb the illegal flow of drugs. The candidate argued that fentanyl from across the border was responsible for the deaths of “three million Americans” last year.

The comments come in the wake of his earlier claims regarding the Roxham Road crossing in Quebec being “wide open for invasion” from traffickers and illegal migrants.

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The Reality

Despite Ramaswamy’s sentiments, the facts paint a different picture. According to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the amount seized at the Canadian border in 2023 came in at just under two and a half pounds, compared to the 26,718 lbs of fentanyl seized at the US-Mexican border.

His comments about the concern for illegal migrants were also disproportionate at best, given that 189,400 migrant encounters were reported along the Canadian border in 2023, compared to 2.47 million along the southern border.

A first time for such suggestions?

Suggestions for building walls across borders are not alien to American politics, as shown by the former President, Donald Trump. However, the focus on the northern border is quite surprising.

Practical solution or sensationalized politicking

The practicality of building a wall across a border spanning over 8000 km- most of it comprising vast expanses of forests, lakes, difficult terrain, and over 146 ports of entry- is also questionable.

The undertaking would entail a substantial financial and logistical cost, one the American economy may not be in a position to indulge in.

Response on the Canadian side

Jason Kenney, a former Alberta Premier and MP who also served as Minister of the IRCC and Minister of Defense, dismissed Ramaswamy’s comments as “completely nuts” and “part of his effort to be as ridiculously provocative as possible.”

He told the BBC that building such a wall was completely and obviously unfeasible and would take decades, along with hundreds of billions of dollars.

According to him, such statements have never been made because of the knowledge that it would be a catastrophic waste of resources without making any improvement on border security.

He also claimed that the Canadian side had more interest in the security of its borders, with data proving that the flow of fentanyl into Canada exceeded the numbers flowing the other way. Additionally, Canada’s national statistical agency also suggested that more than a quarter of weapons used in homicides in Canada could be traced back to the USA.

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