By ,
Published January 23, 2017
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," August 31, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!
BOLLING: In the Factor "Follow-Up" segment tonight, Donald Trump's plan to secure the border constructing a great big wall lies at the center of Trump's plans. But can it deliver the safety and security Trump promises if it's built?
Joining us now to analyze from Washington, Ralph Peters, FOX News strategic analyst and the author of "The Damned of Petersburg." Okay, Colonel, we got a couple of topics. So, let's start with this big beautiful wall that's going to can be built. You don't think it can be built? Is that what you are saying?
LT. COL. RALPH PETERS, FOX NEWS STRATEGIC ANALYST: Well, it can be built. Whether it is wise to build a continuous wall for almost 2,000 miles across the Southwestern border is another question. I have the misfortunate experience. I have actually worked at the border, at the drug czar's office. I have been there. And walls work very well, in populated areas. South of San Diego, Nogales, Arizona. Walls there are beneficial. But do we really need to build a wall through the Big Bend National Park, an isolated area in Texas? Through the Churchill (ph) Mountains in Arizona.
BOLLING: Yes. Do you know why? Do you know why? Because if the wall is not continuous, then you can walk through the open and walk through, Colonel.
PETERS: Well, yes, yes.
BOLLING: If it works in populated areas, it's got to go the full length, no?
PETERS: Yes. It's a question of cost effectiveness among other things, but, also, there are really strong practical considerations. I won't even bother with you the environmental considerations. But let's look at Texas. Twelve hundred and fifty four miles of our border with Mexico are along the Rio Grande Day running through Texas. You know, where do you build that wall? On the Mexican side? No, that's an act of war. On our side and give the river to Mexico? I don't think so. If you try to build a wall in the middle of the river? There are a lot of practical considerations that have to be taken into account.
BOLLING: So, can I throw something at you?
PETERS: Let me state in this.
BOLLING: Can I throw something at you?
PETERS: A partial wall but above all what Trump is right about --
BOLLING: Let me throw you something.
PETERS: -- is we need a wall of walls.
BOLLING: Come on, Colonel. We need a wall, also. Let me throw something at you. President Obama famously came into office and spent a trillion dollars of our money on shovel-ready jobs that happened not to be shovel ready and didn't create any jobs. What's wrong with this idea of a few billion dollars spent to keep our southern border secure?
PETERS: Well, it would probably be government mandated union labor and they have all the materials, the various lawsuits, a lot of those patriots down on the border suddenly wanting an enormous amounts of money for the use of their land.
BOLLING: I got a better idea for that, Colonel. Let's use Mexican and American labors, share the laborers and that's a way to help defray some of the cost to Mexico, use some of their labor?
PETERS: Well, it would probably wind up being built by illegal immigrants anyway. But Eric, I strongly believe, strongly that what we need to do is first ask Mr. Trump has said, enforce the laws on the books. Get the felons out of here. We need to revamp other laws. Pass new ones. When you were apprehended at the border, it shouldn't be catch and release. You go back immediately. And what we have got to do is stop sympathizing with the criminals and penalizing (ph) the victims.
So these ideas of endless appeals and anchor babies, sorry if that offends anybody, that nonsense has to stop. We need legal immigration. But we not illegal and here is my bottom-line. No one who enters this country illegally ever, ever gets to vote for president, senator, representative, governor, judge, et cetera.
BOLLING: All right. Colonel Peters, we're going to leave it there. Another topic to get to. Number two and ISIS being killed. But we ran out of time. Colonel Peters, thank you.
PETERS: The wall of words.
BOLLING: Thank you very much, Colonel Peters.
Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/evaluating-the-strategic-significance-of-border-security