re: #626 CyanSnowHawk

It’s a huge border, and all that’s needed to turn public opinion against strong enforcement is a few dead immigrants, or better yet, dead immigrant families that died because they took insane risks to get around that strong enforcement. Never mind that too many illegals are working just a step or two removed from slavery as long as they believe they are under threat of deportation if they report any abuse.

You lost me. If you’re saying the border should be left wide open to anyone who wants to come and go as they please, sorry, but fuck that, I’m not interested. Although your point about potential harm is well taken.

I’d suggest that the best way to close down the border is simply to remove the attraction of crossing it in the first place, by requiring either valid Social Security numbers or green cards (or perhaps some new mechanism) be recorded by employers and verified.

As for the huddled, oppressed masses - I just got through saying I support amnesty for those already here. Who, by the way, are correct in believing that they would face deportation if caught, for any reason, including turning in abusive employers. Although apparently, the porous border isn’t as much of a problem as slack visa enforcement, at least according to an earlier poster. In any case, I’d rather have ‘em paying taxes, citizens or guest workers or whatever, than working ‘off the books,’ which is what causes many of the problems you describe in the first place.