Republican lawmakers vying to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border may want to consult Argentinian and Paraguayan officials before doing so.
The South American countries jointly constructed a massive 16-foot-high, 4,265-foot-wide concrete wall around a government office in Argentina's river-side town of Posadas, bringing customs and military personnel together under one roof. According to Ultima Hora, government officials say construction is necessary for urban modernization, yet local residents see it as a crippling obstacle that only serves to stop transportation between Posadas and Paraguay's neighboring city of Encarnación.
Hundreds of pedestrians who walk the Puente Internacional San Roque González on a daily basis are now restricted, and business owners in need of transporting goods across the bridge can't drive over it, nor can they depend on stonewalled boat and train operators.
Aesthetically, the wall is an eyesore.
In speaking with Argentina's LaNacion.com, Javier Bellochio, owner of an architecture college, described it as bad urban infrastructure which "decreases the real estate value of properties and affects the quality of life of people who have lost their view of the river." An Encarnación resident compared it to the U.S.-Mexico wall for its "huge and horrible" façade.
A Change.org petition started by Posadas resident Daniel Prino sparked controversy around the world, garnering over 2,500 signatures less than a week after launching. Prino already had 5,600 supporters as of Aug. 24.
Prino's initially calls out both governments for adopting an ideal he believes they adopted American presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"It's our border with Paraguay that's not necessary at all," Prino states. "It is a measure rather horrifying and absurd."
Trump created a firestorm of controversy last June in generalizing all Mexican as criminals and rapists, later suggesting that the Mexican government should pay for a wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the U.S.
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