Economic development can stem the export of people. However, if it is not accompanied by birth control and education of women so they can be part of economic development and not merely have status as baby makers economic development cannot keep pace with population growth.

Whatever the problems of South American countries are, it's up to those countries to do something about it; they are not America's problems. There is no right of illegal entry into the West. What happened to the 'all cultures are equal' blah? Oh. That's right. That's just another nonsensical Marxist slogan.

Well argued erudite, educated evocation. Economic development is the answer and if necessary via NGO's that allow development aid to completely bypass corrupt officials/government.

If a stable and honourable government is in charge then larger projects could be funded, like say, a nuclear power station.

Not just any nuclear power station but rather, MSR thorium. then with that built and operational, use some of that power, say offpeak, to run deionisation dialysis desalination plants, also built and operated using suitably trained or skilled local labour.

You change much and allow a certain amount of drought proofing while also creating numerous new employment opportunities. As well as entrepreneurial opportunities in associated service industries.

Have to say, If only Trump could be guided by such wise counsel, Alon!

The caravan could probably start heading in the other direction and as a veritable stampede!?
Alan B.

The problem with offering amnesty is that this has already been tried, in 1986 under President Reagan. The idea was that the US would give permanent residence to the estimated 3 million illegal immigrants, but that this would be followed by strict enforcement and sanctions on employers who hire illegal aliens, so as not to attract a flood of new illegal immigrants. The American people got the amnesty, but the politicians saw to it that there would be no enforcement. Their donors love illegal immigrants because they can be paid low wages and don't have rights. Now the number of illegal immigrants is estimated at 22 million.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201193

Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.

There is nothing wrong with extending some evidence based aid to Central America and preventing exploitation by US companies, but the people there are ultimately responsible for solving their own problems. No one forced the Guatemalans to more than quadruple their population since 1960.

Taking Alon Ben-Meir's advice would ultimately make the US as poor, populous, environmentally degraded, and conflict ridden as the places that people are risking their lives to escape. The same goes for Australia.

I have a different solution to stem the flow of unauthorised migrants. The first prong is not to let them in. The second prong is, if they do manage illegal entry, then promptly deport them.

I might add a third prong:get rid of citizenship rights for the American-born children of unauthorised aliens.

The US now has 12 million illegal economic immigrants, but has made a rod for its own back.

Effectively the US allows its immigration laws to be broken without any real consequences. "Sanctuary cities" refuse to enforce US immigration law, and past amnesties have merely promoted the expectation of further amnesties in the future.

Politicians in every developed country need to realise that, for many in developing countries, gaining permanent residence is like winning the lottery so that strong borders are essential.

ttbn, folk just don't pull up stakes and leave their farms, families and friends, to head into hostile territory and dehumanising nazi style gulags, if they're lucky, without compelling reasons! Any more than you would! Unless your world and lifestyle had all turned to shite!

We and every other decent humane developed society on the one and only planet we all share, send a certain amount of aid to other less well-off countries every year. And in comparison just a tiny fraction of the budget we spend on arms!

Often expended in the hopeless, forever unwinnable war on drugs and or, illegal immigration!

Better they are given reasons to stay and with far less expenditure, than that consumed keeping them out!? Than have our own culture swamped, then changed for the worse and forever, by being overrun by incompatible stone age cultures!

Perhaps you and your ilk, think that all they are good for is target practice, men, women children and their pets?
Alan B.