A large number of these people are products of the Drug War itself, be it weed, coke, heroin, whatever.
By giving poor young men and women an easy and attractive alternative to actually trying hard to complete school and find decent and honorable work, the New Prohibition just encourages people to take a different path.
Alter that dynamic and you can defang the criminal street gangs and take away a great deal of their resources and attraction to young people in vulnerable areas.
Then end or at least strongly modify the welfare state so that people are naturally incented towards positive ends.
If we could reduce our illegal population of Central Americans, reduce the Welfare State’s hold and impact on society and end the destructive (to liberty and human dignity) Drug War, you’d see a LOT of this country’s problems become more manageable.