A few years ago I met a retired Army sergeant who spent a good part of his early career on "border Duty" with a cav unit prior to, and during, early WW2. He said they'd man a machine gun post and "shoot at" "border crossers". Occasionally someone got hurt, but the border was relatively secure back then. We had a "bracero" program of "guest workers" that permitted the Mexicans to work in the USA and travel freely.
Then came the great socialist take over in the 1970s and it was discovered that guest workers were "exploited" and Mexicans could be "organized" to vote democrat and laws were changed and policies changed so the border became a joke, albeit a dangerous one for the poor wetbacks who risk death in the desert or a hot closed van to get here now. It did not take long for the Mexicans to see who the exploiters were and those who were U.S. citizens became pretty good republicans. Like the blacks on the democrat plantation, the democrat party does not want the poor mexicans to lose dependency on the party for their exisitance. What the democrats fail to see is that the legal mexicans who become citizens and those who's children have grown up to be citizens become good republicans. They appreciate the freedoms here. As a people, they are the hardest working folks that I know. I'm proud to have them as relatives and friends. We will get the border under control when the socialist lose control of the democrat party. that day is coming.
^5 and salute
BT