From the Texas Revolution to the current border crisis, the U.S.-Mexico border has never really been secure. Understanding the border’s dynamic history helps explain why.
Key Points:
- The history of the U.S.-Mexico border suggests that it is possible to secure the border but that U.S. government policy must be tailored to address two things it can least control by fiat: the political stability of Mexico and the American economy.
- From the Texas Revolution to the current migrant crisis, the U.S.-Mexico border has never really been secure.
- Often, changes in U.S. border policy have had unintended and unforeseen consequences, with major implications for legal and illegal immigration.
- In a historic shift, Mexican drug cartels and migrant smuggling networks have monetized illegal immigration and are now making billions annually off the border crisis.
- In the past, both the federal and Texas state governments did not shy away from imposing order in northern Mexico when the Mexican government was unable or unwilling to do so.