Wall? Fence? Barrier? Beaded curtain? Slats? Concrete? Steel?

Who knows?

For President Donald Trump isn’t saying what he wants.

First, it was a beautiful wall that covered the entire United States-Mexico border with one beautiful door – paid for by Mexico. And Now?

Is that $5.8 billion demand that has caused the partial government shutdown a one-time temper tantrum or is the true figure $20 billion?

Or more?

Potshots from politicians, pundits, and think tank stooges are muddying the waters. For the main issue has little to do with security, thrift, or the well-being of federal government workers.

The main issue is a breakdown of trust among the combatants and between the combatants and those they pretend to serve.

For solutions are out there.

According to Byron York (1), the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013 that, among other things, mandated 700 miles of fencing along the 2000-mile border between Mexico and the United States. Currently, 354 feet of fencing has already been built. Perhaps, money could be approved for the building of the rest of the fence that immigration hard-liners quashed in 2013 in return for the ending of the partial government shutdown and resolving the legal status of the Dreamers: those children whose parents brought with them while illegally entering the United States.

Might House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Trump agree to something similar and sell it to enough hard-liners in their orbit to pass such a proposal?

Ira Glass, during a recent This American Life program (2), described how President Clinton created a task force to address the immigration mess twenty-five years ago. The task force, headed by respected civil rights activist Barbara Jordan, consisted of a cross-section of leaders from key constituency groups with wildly differing views on immigration. Over several years, they put together numerous recommendations, but due in part to Ms. Jordan’s untimely death, Congressional representatives watered them down.

Might President Trump and Speaker Pelosi jointly organize a new task force, each choosing a well-respected leader as co-chairs (perhaps, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush?)? They could insist that the panel make recommendations in six months, and that they address as many issues as possible: illegal immigrants over-staying their visas; security at all borders, not just the one with Mexico; family reunification; the expensive, confusing process to apply legally; the role of big business; drugs, violent crime, and trafficking; and the like. Once the report was released, both could work with task force members to encourage Congress to pass these recommendations as written.

Such approaches would end this pointless conflict while unleashing the power of people directly engaged in the immigration problem to work together to find solutions. It would also promote trust-building processes that have supported communities to address teen pregnancy, employment of people from underrepresented groups, technology in schools, and other hot button issues (3).

Or we can continue slip-sliding away from each other.

It’s up to our politicians to show some leadership.

And for us to insist that they start removing bricks from their wall of mistrust as we do the same.

(1) https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2019/01/02/when-democrats-embraced-the-southern-border-fencing-strategy-n2538334

(2) https://www.thisamericanlife.org/665/before-things-went-to-hell/act-one-2

(3) For information about my work supporting communities to address hot-button issues, please visit

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