Why Are They Coming? And How Do We Finally Fix Immigration?

A conversation with Miles Carter and Beth (ChatGPT)

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Teaser

America has always been a nation shaped by migration — but today’s system is overwhelmed, misunderstood, and increasingly politicized. In this post, we explore why migrants keep coming, what history tells us about America’s founding ideals, and how we can finally build an immigration system that works.

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Main Conversation

Miles’ Question

Why are they coming? And how do we manage it while creating real immigration policies?

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Beth’s Initial Response

Let’s begin where the American story starts — with the Founding Fathers.

1. What Was the Original Intent?

The Founders envisioned America as a refuge for the persecuted. From religious minorities fleeing Europe to political dissidents escaping monarchies, the idea was that freedom meant safety, and America would be a place where people could rebuild lives in liberty.

But they also expected immigrants to assimilate, contribute, and uphold republican values. Immigration was never about open borders — it was about shared ideals and measured growth.

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2. What’s the Right Number? Let’s Call It the Goldilocks Number

Here’s the problem today: too many people are coming too fast through a system that can’t handle them. But swinging in the opposite direction — shutting it down entirely — creates backlogs and chaos.

We need to find what you rightly called “the Goldilocks number”: not too high, not too low — just right for our workforce, infrastructure, and moral commitments.

Our rough model suggests:

• 800,000–1 million legal immigrants per year works best.
• That includes workers, families, and humanitarian cases.
• It’s what the U.S. handled smoothly in the 1990s and early 2000s.

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3. What Happened During Trump’s First Term?

Under Trump, immigration enforcement tightened drastically:

• A wall was built and Title 42 was invoked to limit asylum.
• Legal pathways were reduced.
• COVID-19 policies further restricted legal immigration, halting processing and creating massive delays.
• As a result, many migrants didn’t stop coming — they just waited.

That created a backlog: people on the other side of the wall, desperate, poor, endangered — and now delayed.

Under Trump, immigration enforcement tightened drastically:

• A wall was built and Title 42 was invoked to limit asylum.
• Legal pathways were reduced.
• As a result, many migrants didn’t stop coming — they just waited.

That created a backlog: people on the other side of the wall, desperate, poor, endangered — and now delayed.

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4. The Biden Surge Was Actually the Trump Backlog

When Biden took office and reduced the risk at the border (lifting Title 42, restoring asylum), all those waiting migrants finally surged forward.

• It looked like a flood.
• But it was really a delayed wave.
• The backlog wasn’t just caused by policy — the COVID-19 pandemic had already shut down immigration courts, interviews, and asylum hearings.
• The system broke because we didn’t build capacity — we just turned the faucet off and then suddenly back on.
• The total number of immigrants would have arrived anyway — it simply got redistributed in time, not reduced in volume.

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5. What Is Trump Doing Now? And What Are the Consequences?

Now, in his second term, Trump is:

• Proposing a $5 million “Gold Card” visa for wealthy immigrants.
• Revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for vulnerable groups.
• Deporting asylum seekers to authoritarian regimes (like El Salvador).
• Relying on wartime powers (like the Alien Enemies Act) — a move courts are challenging as unconstitutional.

Consequences:

• Builds another backlog — even larger and more unstable.
• Sends people back to violence or collapse.
• Puts U.S. policy at odds with its moral and constitutional traditions.

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6. So What Would Real Immigration Reform Look Like?

Here’s a better plan — grounded in our ideals and reality:

✅ Set a Smart Annual Cap (“Goldilocks Number”)

Use economic and humanitarian data to admit 800,000–1 million annually — with clear categories.

✅ Rebuild Legal Pathways

Digitize and expand processing. More immigration judges. Faster asylum reviews. Prioritize children and families.

✅ Enforce Borders — But Fairly

Detain and deport criminals. Protect the border. But don’t treat every migrant like a threat.

✅ Address the Source

Invest in Central America and Haiti. Fight corruption and gangs there so people don’t have to flee here.

✅ Modernize the Narrative

This isn’t 1980 or 1880. We need data-based immigration, not slogans or fear.

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Beth’s Follow-Up Question

Do you think Americans are ready to shift from fear-based immigration debates to solutions that are both compassionate and controlled — or are we still stuck in the politics of division?

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Miles’ Reflection

I believe the immigration crisis is a political goldmine. Fear of “the other” is a timeless tool—politicians use it to justify walls, raids, and power grabs. It’s like the frog in boiling water: fear creeps up slowly, and before we know it, we’ve traded liberty for control. If we don’t shift to solutions, we risk a nation that’s secure but unrecognizable.

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Beth’s Summary

America’s immigration story oscillates between openness and restriction. Trump’s 2025 policies—favoring wealth, enforcement, and deportation—may curb inflows but risk backlogs and moral costs. History shows walls delay, not solve, migration. The fix? Set smart caps, rebuild legal systems, and address why people flee. Without that, the cycle persists.

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