The reason we can't seem to solve the question of illegal immigration is that the conversation, like this thread, disolves into minutae arguing about questions that will eventually have to be answered. But at the moment we need, as a nation, that means our elected critters, have to come together and formulate a plan to secure the border and ports that is actually reasonable and will work and then go do it. The rest of the story comes later.
Talking about immigration is like talking about drilling for oil and gas; the minute we start getting serious about it, someone starts pointing out ancilliary crap and the conversation bogs down. Example: (whiny voice) If we drill for oil and gas over there (name your spot where there is oil and gas but it is prohibited) it will take 6-8-10 years before the wells are producing. Well, gee whiz Molly, it's been nearly 30 years since the first politician whined about it being 6 years to get oil. That's when Carter created the Dept of Energy that has thousands of employees and costs billions of dollars a year to do what? Reduce our reliance on imports.
My overall point here, fellow campers, is that government proves on a daily basis how inefectual it is on nearly every thing it does. Yet half the people that vote continue to believe that in America, post modern liberalism, with its faith in, well, nothing but whatever the narative of the day is, that there is no objective truth. That is why those in power refuse to confront major issues and solve them. That is why we need to defend the Constitution for what it is; and that is not that it is a living document.
The federal government will never solve any ouf our problems that are reality based until we begin to demand that they do. Maybe that time is coming. We'll see.