Want evidence that elections matter? Witness the change at our southern border.
Seldom have we seen such a rapid and dramatic improvement because of a change in administrations.
After years of chaos, the border is secure. Let that reverberate a bit in your mind before we continue.
The border is secure because President Trump made it a priority, appointed people who shared his mission, and ignored the complaints of the Left. Donald Trump has been in office for less than a year, and in that time the border has gone from porous to secure.
You don’t hear much lately in the media about the border, and everyone thinks the problem is solved. But that’s a trap.
Because the immigration issue isn’t solved. Not even a little bit.
For years—decades even—we have heard:
- “There can’t be a deal on immigration until the border is secure!”
- “We can’t deal with the Dreamers until the border is secure!”
- “I don’t want to hear about comprehensive immigration reform until the border is secure.”
Well, the border is secure. And 2026 could be the year of comprehensive immigration reform.
President Trump has forcibly established the first condition for a deal, and he wants to be remembered as a dealmaker. The border is secure, and Congress is evenly divided. The conditions are perfect for a bipartisan deal on immigration that requires significant compromise (that means buy-in) by both parties.
- We need an immigration system that encourages the best of the world to come to the United States.
- We need an immigration system that protects us from those who will not or cannot assimilate.
- We need an immigration system that provides an abundant source of human capital.
- We need an immigration system that allows us to know who is here, when they arrived, and when they left.
- We need an immigration system that allows foreign workers to supply labor in areas where the current and future work force is insufficient.
- We need an immigration system that doesn’t brutalize those who have grown up in this country and know no other culture.
- We need an immigration system that prevents immigrants from taking advantage of our safety nets and our generosity.
In 2016, IPI published a paper with suggestions on how to proceed with a solution to the immigration challenge. It was posited on border security.
And now the border is secure. But the job is not done. Now is the time for the “Art of the Deal” Trump to step up to the plate. It will probably require sidelining advisor Stephen Miller, but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggheads.