The issue of immigration at our Southern border must be dealt with not only on the level of symptom but also on the level of cause. U.S. policies have contributed mightily to the destabilization of economies throughout Latin America, fueling the desperation that then drives so many to migrate here. Of course we need an infrastructure in place to separate those with credible asylum claims from those who need to immigrate through other legal means. But nothing we do on the level of symptom will fundamentally solve the problem until we address the extreme poverty and drug cartel violence in countries from which people are seeking escape. We need to address the forces that are driving people to seek refuge here in such massive numbers to begin with. Then and only then will we be able to carve a new path forward. That includes far more support to Latin American countries seeking to improve their economies. It also includes an end to America’s Drug War,  which actually aids the drug cartels by providing them a huge black market in the United States. #ANewBeginning