Immigration Reform has been a political football for 40 years, and there seems to be no solution in sight. That’s why it was a surprise when the U.S. Senate proposed non-partisan legislation this month. Its chances looked good until Trump threw a firebomb, and the Speaker of the House caved and said he wouldn’t even put a bill up for a vote. The Senate quit. The Republican strategy has been to stall until Trump takes office again.

Immigration on the southern border is no longer an issue of Mexican migrants crossing the border for seasonal agricultural work. It involves millions of people from Central and South American, particularly from the failed states. The drug cartels present a serious security threat not only to these governments, but to citizens caught in the crossfire. The majority are crossing the border legally through a system set up for the asylum process. The flow has crashed the inadequate processing system, so the people are just let out on the streets. Some still try to cross the Rio Grande River in between the established border crossings.

Over-simplified tactics such as closing the border or building more walls do not work. We have a high volume of trade across the border and shutting it down would have severe economic consequences. People climb over walls or go where there are none. 2.5 million migrants legally crossed the border last year, and another 600,000 crossed illegally and/or undetected.

We are not unique. Recent years have seen a flood of migrants across borders due to regional wars, famine, natural disasters, and autocratic governments. For years Syria led the pack, but now Russia and the Ukraine have seen a massive outflow. Africa sends them across the Mediterranean where many perish at sea. The Palestinians are trapped and can’t flee.

The US has tried to improve the conditions in Central America to stem the flow, but it has had little impact. We’re even working with Venezuela now. Aside from the temporary problems of housing and food, most migrants get jobs, contribute to the economy, and pay taxes. They don’t take jobs away from Americans, they take jobs that no one else wants at low pay. They are abused at every level as political pawns and as people with no power or options to protect themselves from crooked employers.

We have a ridiculous system of quotas and work permits that present impossible barriers for new talent. We’re not talking about a mass migration of criminals. We’re talking about poor, desperate people, and professional people who can’t get certified in their professions. It is a problem at both ends of the economic scale.

Obviously, we’re not going to see any resolution until after the election, and in the interim the situation only will grow worse.

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