The optics are bad, in fact, beyond horrendous. Nobody likes the image of persons being thrown to the ground, cuffed, and then hauled away, their only crime being in a place where they shouldn’t be. Nobody wants to blame someone for trying to reach a land where a better life can be achieved, especially when the risks and consequences may result in prostitution, debt to unscrupulous cayotes, or even death. Nobody wants to believe that the United States of America, the last true bastion of liberty, has turned its back on persons seeking to be liberated from poverty, fear, and oppression. This is the emotional argument to be made by those who are aghast at the current crisis in America with respect to immigration. The cold and legalistic alter argument is simple enough, nobody has the right to violate the sovereignty of another country, just as nobody has the right to expect they can supersede those who have played by the rules in the quest to legally immigrate. There is a right and wrong way to do things, but the de facto reality of how and why millions of persons have been allowed to illegally enter and remain in the United States for the last 40 years has mushroomed into the greatest crisis in our nation’s history, a crisis both created and abetted by a selfish political class.

A man or woman who risks all for the chance of a better life for themselves or their families cannot and should not be criminalized. Congress is empowered with the ability to regulate and control laws with respect to immigration, and it seems hell-bent on abdicating and relinquishing this role to the Executive Branch of government. Congress needs to reaffirm its primacy in the process, but more importantly, it must focus on serious and consistent legislative solutions, not politically expedient fixes benefiting special interests. Most importantly, the United States must openly and unhesitatingly admit to the role it has played in the internal disruption of countries where people are driven by poverty, gang violence, and political corruption. There must be an acknowledgement that certain sectors of the American economy, the agricultural and services industries for example, are literally dependent on migrant workers. Of greater importance is that Congress develops the framework for these workers to be able to do so in a legal fashion. America must willingly adopt a more serious attitude concerning the problems resulting in the massive flow of humanity to America’s Southern border. For the last several years, most of the arriving migrants have been from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The push factors in these countries continue to be poverty, inequality, political instability, and political violence. The United States must acknowledge the role it has played in the support of oppressive, right-wing governments in these countries, particularly when American business interests were threatened. Historically, American military and intelligence assets have been liberally utilized to assist in defeating popular uprisings. In short, the U.S. needs to partner with Central American countries to ameliorate the domestic and economic unrest that has contributed to the hemorrhaging of people, in effect, to create incentives for people to remain at home.

Building walls, high profile raids, and other draconian solutions are political theatre, and not going to permanently stem the flow of people in countries if they are fearful of remaining in them. American politicians of both parties have been criminally negligent because both have a self-serving interest in perpetuating the problem. Republicans, as a sop to big business and corporations, have no problem in allowing the continued flow of cheap labor, and Democrats, having lost the support of America’s middle-class, are looking to shower new immigrants with as much government largesse as possible to secure future votes for remaining in power. Neither vision presents a once and for all remedy for illegal immigration. Solving the immigration problem will require hard core political will. It will require bipartisanship of the most intensive nature, and perhaps most importantly, political leaders who are willing to be collaborators and not culprits.