In the past, US responses to deal with illegal immigration were riddled with loopholes or not carried out with vigor. It remains to be seen whether the current efforts will be more durable and pursued more seriously, yet free of racist violence.

The purpose of this lecture is to display the complexity of a very large multicomponent migratory system that reaches the limits of human experience for MILLIONS of people. People on both sides of the frontier deserve the very best, and learning these complexities are urgent for those who may be involved in the next compromise.