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One of the basic problems underlying why no one with authority is really serious about securing the borders is because immigrants are a net positive for the economy; even after accounting for the drains that they are on social programs and health services, immigrants add more to the economy than they subtract from it.

Fences and additional patrolling will not work well enough and will be prohibitively costly, too. There has to be sound economic disincentives to discourage people from coming here illegally and we have to speed up the process in order to allow people to come here legally as long as they have provided full disclosures. How we accomplish the first part is tough to formulate but we should be actively advocating the second portion - possibly even getting revenue from it. You know how much money some illegals will spend to be smuggled into this country? If we charged them half as much as the "human traffic" scum does, we not only get proper documentation and revenue, they live without the fear of being caught and returned and our economy benefits.

immigrants add more to the economy than they subtract from it.

This is only true if you are speaking of the controlled immigration of highly skilled, law-abiding individuals. Value in a capitalistic economy doesn't materialize out of thin air, and illegal blue collar workers bring nothing of value with them across the border. Unless of course you're one of those management-types who is pleased because lower wages boost your bottom line.