America's heritage is one of immigrants coming to our shores to make a better life. Economic and political pressures in less fortunate countries have created conditions in which people feel the need to leave their homes and seek a better life in the United States. Of course, many of them do it illegally and Mexico even publishes pamphlets teaching folks how to safely make an illegal crossing. In the long run this situation is untenable. First, the rule of law must be followed. Second, because it hurts the economy of one of our strongest trading partners, Mexico, not to mention our own. If our borders are to remain secure and our economy is to stay strong then we must be able to control the flow of people in and out of the country.

Does this mean that we should put up a fence across the whole of the southern border, eliminate nearly all visas, and remove the millions who have already crossed into America? It’s not a practical alternative and I won’t talk down to you to score cheap political points. We should hold companies who employ undocumented workers accountable and have a reasonable means to identify illegal immigrants and give them a path to citizenship. However, if they are criminals, if they have no intent of becoming a citizen, or if there is any suspicion of a connection to terrorists then they should be deported back to their home nation.

These answers are only short term fixes as the movement of people across borders can't be stopped by simply legislating or policing the problem out of existence. However, a holistic approach that values the rules of the state, the human rights of the migrant, and the conditions in neighboring states who must also be held accountable to provide jobs and sustainable pay must be explored before we can even begin to truly and systematically fix this problem.