It doesn’t really matter how high a wall you build; so long as there’s no sanction on employers who hire undocumented workers, people will find a way to get here. That’s why immigration has always been a wedge issue for Republicans: business interests are on the opposite side of the issue from nativists and always will be.
And that’s what makes the eventual crackdown on the use of undocumented workers at Trump’s businesses so interesting. The nativists that should applaud it will have to come up with all kinds of silly arguments to explain why, well, you know, in this case we have to let it slide because liberal tears or some such.
But seriously: you want to really reduce the flow of workers across the southern border? Cracking down on this specific employer would send one hell of a signal. If Trump really were the strategic genius his fans think he is, he’d embrace this on the way to a real crackdown. It would be one of those “only Nixon can go to China” transformative moments.
He’s not, however, a genius, and he cares less about political success than he does about business. So….
