Thinking about the bigger goals of immigration policy can help put the border in context. American society is very much the richer from the arrival of newcomers. One of the great promises of immigration is integration—the hope that immigrants and their descendants will be able to climb the ladder of opportunity while becoming full participants in the American experiment. While many elite voices adopt a centrifugal view of American life, in which different cultures keep to themselves—and avoid the dread specter of “cultural appropriation”—integration is a more expansive ideal, looking instead toward the forging of a new, common heritage through cultural mixing.

In addition to its grave humanitarian costs, the breakdown at the border causes Americans to lose faith in the immigration system—and in the rule of law. It also undercuts that vision of integration. A surge of unauthorized migration risks undercutting the wages of working-class Americans, including recent immigrants. Political responsibility means designing a system that looks out for the interests of native-born Americans while also helping immigrants themselves integrate into American life. The breakdown at the border has at once become a symbol of American polarization and an accelerant of that polarization. Restoring public credibility more broadly requires addressing the policy drivers of the crisis.