Democrats Can Win by Giving Trump His Wall
In return for their support, they will be well-placed to make big requests of him.
1,954 miles.
Photographer: Mandal Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Our arguments over a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border encapsulate much of what’s wrong with American politics. The wall has become a much larger issue than it deserves to be, and the parties have been unable to make a deal over it that ought to be easy to make.
The debate is overwrought on both sides. It was a mistake for immigration hawks to become as fixated as they have on building a wall on the southern border. Even if it is completely successful in stopping illegal border-crossings, it won’t stop people from coming here legally and then overstaying their visas. Estimates of the fraction of illegal immigrants who get here that way range from two-fifths to two-thirds.