[Uncle Miltie]

"No matter the obstacles, how high the fence, or how tough the law, they're going to keep on coming to the United States."

My point exactly. The economic incentives are essentially infinite.

The only possible control is landmines and machine guns. When you will assuredly die trying, you won't try.

Are Americans willing to mow down illegal border crossers? Nope. I'm willing, but the vast majority of American won't allow us to kill them.

That leaves two other options: Improve Mexico so they stay, or eliminate the hiring of illegals.

Illegals' incentives are so strong, they've shown themselves able to overcome any documentation requirements we have put into place over 20 years. I know of no proposal that would assuredly keep them from getting sufficient documentation to get a job.

Mexico is a h#{{-hole, and is unlikely to improve. We surely have little control over that.

So Congresscritters can pass any and every law they wish. I don't believe we can control illegal immigration until we are prepared to kill illegal border crossers. We can't even get a consensus on making it a felony, much less mow them down with machine guns.

Prediction: I think we'll have lots of noise and smoke and probably laws, none of which will have any effect. Until someday Al Qaeda infiltrates a squad across the border and blows up a few thousand Americans. Then we'll install the fence, landmines and machine guns.

[samcgwire]

You forgot the most draconian Big Brother in America you've ever dreamed of.

[Wolfie]

Until someday Al Qaeda infiltrates a squad across the border and blows up a few thousand Americans. Then we'll install the fence, landmines and machine guns form a committee, hold hearings, point fingers, deflect blame, issue a report, fire nobody, and go back to business as usual.

[buwaya]

A complete border fence and a bigger border force (3x or so) will shut the leakage to a fraction of what it is. This has happened in places where such things have been done, it moves the traffic to less guarded places. Its just a matter of closing the last holes.

And if anything the flow through the border is actually lower than it used to be when people could easily cross from Tijuana to San Diego.

No need for land mines or machine-guns.

[Pessimist]

"That leaves two other options: Improve Mexico so they stay, or eliminate the hiring of illegals."

Too put a finer point on it: It really isn't our job to improve Mexico. Instead, what we may need to do is foment change within their political system (propaganda, etc...).

So far the Mexican gvt has done a relatively remarkable job of insulating itself from the plight of its own people. That has to change.