The borders were more secure and there was less illegal immigration under Clinton/Gore than there is under Bush/Cheney and they didn't have the tragedy of 9/11 to justify additional efforts to secure our borders.
Illegal immigration was down 30% while the National Guard was on our borders.
Bush couldn't wait to get them out of there.
Now, illegal immigration has increased to unprecedented, record levels.
The only thing that has grown faster than illegal immigration under Bush is the federal portion of our National Debt that he's needed to increase to pay for it.
Bush and company gambled that giving Middle Easterners a democracy in the region (after Afghanistan), would make them want to stay home and live prosperous, peaceful lives. That made sense when he mentioned it in a speech and it still does. Trouble is, we didn't have enough manpower to accomplish all that and still protect the borders, and God knows what else..Haiti and Liberia come to mind. So the national guard headed overseas. I don't see any alternative but the draft. The border has to be sealed, watched in total, guarded, whatever. When we take overt steps in that direction, lots of people will be offended, mad, demand that money be spent on social welfare programs, etc., plus the usual suspects screaming about illegals' rights. The PC crowd...already demands that your native rights be subordinated to the rights of illegals. You pay taxes, but ER rooms have to take care of illegals and you can't afford health care. A friend of mine went to the ER for a tendonitis shoulder problem, and $2400 later, went home to figure out how to pay the bill. It's unbelievable. My miserly ex who has more money than God, says he can't afford complete health care, so he has only catastrophic health care. He lives in Texas, and I presume he's paying for plenty of illegals' nosebleeds, bumps, bruises, and births. They don't have to worry about a damn thing once they settle in like ticks on a hound dog.