When immigration is discussed publicly, most of the news reports and most of the statements made by politicians focus on the presence of illegal aliens in the United States while problems within legal side of the issue are ignored. Additionally, most of these discussions begin by talking about the lack of security to be found along the U.S./Mexican border while ignoring the other dysfunctional components of the immigration system.
There is no doubt that the U.S./Mexican border lacks meaningful integrity. There is also no doubt that the Mexican border must be secured- however, simply securing that border will not end the immigration crisis and not eliminate the threats posed by international terrorists and transnational criminals.
Incredibly the Obama administration has made it all but impossible for the valiant Border Patrol agents along that border to do their jobs. On February 4, 2016 the Washington Examiner posted the report, “Border agent: ‘We might as well abolish our immigration laws altogether’” in which the president of the National Council of the Border Patrol testified before a congressional hearing on the restrictions placed on the Border Patrol to make it all but impossible for them to take illegal aliens into custody or even process them for future hearings.