Immigration Policy Is Hard
Donald Trump isn’t the first president to discover that, when it comes to the border, there are few good options.
Left behind.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
While I was relieved to see the end of President Donald Trump’s policy of separating parents and their children at the border, I don’t think the suggested replacement — locking up parents and children together — is much better. With so many bad alternatives available, it’s worth thinking about why immigration policy poses such tough dilemmas and how to fix them.
Ideally, America’s immigration policy should balance at least three objectives: Decide how best to help the people arriving at our borders, treat them humanely during the decision-making process, and minimize their risk in coming here. It is hard to achieve all of those goals at once.