When was the last time you heard any of the Democrats invoking the phrase “Trump’s manufactured crisis at the border” during their various cable news appearances? It’s probably been a while because that particular talking point seems to have fallen out of fashion recently. One reason might be the relentless string of headlines about surging numbers of arrests and overflowing detention centers. (Though that’s actually begun to abate a bit since Mexico changed their immigration policies and began cooperating with us more fully.) But the situation remains dire and some Democrats have recently been forced to admit that the “manufactured crisis” line probably wasn’t such a great idea. (The Hill)

“I haven’t heard anyone say it’s a manufactured crisis for quite some time,” Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) observed of his Senate Democratic colleagues…

“In recent weeks it’s gotten clearer and clearer there is a dramatic humanitarian crisis, again, at the border,” said Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee…

“The phrase manufactured crisis could be misunderstood as suggesting it’s not a real crisis. It is a real crisis. There are people actually suffering. There are children dying. There are families in distress. It is a crisis,” Coons said. “The phrase ‘manufactured’ I think was used by some to emphasize the president’s role in making it worse.”

In another sign that reality has begun to sink in, Chuck Schumer is teaming up this week with Lindsey Graham to merge proposals that each have been working on to improve the situation on the border. And if you can get Chuck and Lindsey to work together on something, there’s definitely a sense of urgency in the upper chamber.

Of course, we haven’t suddenly entered a new era of bipartisan unity with everyone roasting marshmallows together around the campfire. While the Democrats increasingly agree that there is a crisis at the border, the aspect they’re most concerned with is very different than the priorities the President has set. While Trump and most of the Republicans want to find a way to stop the flood of migrants pouring across the border, their Democratic colleagues are focusing on the conditions the illegal aliens face after being detained.

Is it really impossible for us to work on both of these issues at the same time? After all, the only reason we’re seeing these cramped, overcrowded detention centers and backed up immigration courts is because there are such unprecedented numbers of people showing up at the border. If you cut down the number of people coming across, you alleviate the other problems by definition. Graham and Schumer are talking about more money to increase the number of immigration judges on the job and expand detention facilities. That’s a good start, but we also need more agents patrolling the border.

Oh, and by the way… you Democrats could stop fighting the President for a little while and build the damn wall. Just saying…