White men may be derided for wallowing in privilege, but in the eyes of politicians seeking votes they constitute the core of the most sought-after group of Americans: likely voters. Many of them feel hard done by and have for a long time. They voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and their sense of grievance has probably not abated. If anything, it may even have intensified with the images of refugees and asylum seekers storming the borders.

Viewed from heaven, the Democrats’ embrace of the plight of non-citizens might be seen as praiseworthy. And, given their reliance on Latino voters, it also seems to make good political sense. But there is the danger for Democrats that if the present crisis on the border abates, today’s zeal will diminish by November while the more deeply-rooted hostility to “open borders” or “amnesty” or other hard-line views on immigration will persist and limit the goal of hopeful Democrats to breach the red wall, capture the House and threaten the GOP majority in the Senate.