Calling a border wall racist requires ignoring the fact that approximately 77 countries worldwide have border walls or fences — including liberal democracies and countries of every racial and ethnic composition. Israel, India, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Spain, and Morocco all have significant border barriers.

The evidence that physical barriers work is substantial. Israel completed its barrier along the Egyptian border in 2013, and illegal crossings dropped by 99% — from approximately 9,570 in 2012 to 43 in 2013, according to the Israeli government. Hungary built a barrier in 2015, and illegal crossings dropped by 97% within months. The U.S. Border Patrol consistently reports that areas with physical barriers have significantly fewer crossings than areas without.

The bipartisan support for border barriers is often forgotten. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 passed with support from Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Chuck Schumer. It authorized 700 miles of fencing. Nobody called it racist at the time.

A border barrier is a tool — one part of a comprehensive strategy including technology, personnel, and legal reform. No serious person argues it's the only solution. But a barrier channels traffic to legal ports of entry, frees up Border Patrol agents for other tasks, and creates a physical impediment that makes crossings harder, more dangerous, and more expensive.

The 'racist' charge is designed to shut down debate rather than address it. Mexico has a southern border barrier. Is Mexico racist against Central Americans? Saudi Arabia built a barrier with Iraq. Is that racist? Borders are a fundamental feature of every nation on Earth.

We can debate the cost-effectiveness and design of a border barrier. That's a legitimate conversation. But calling a basic security infrastructure 'racist' is a conversation-stopper, not a serious argument.