Thanks for these details. The problem will never be fixed. But I can see some of the logic of some of these approaches, to reduce illegal immigrants. I think all illgal immigrants must be deported, without question, so I agree with some of your points. I might annoy you if I mention some of the points I agree with in the bill, and how they would reduce illegal immigration, but here goes:

1) $4B to countries from where migrants are fleeing. This is a very good plan. Other countries have done it, as has the US, as the usual kind of economic aid. It's cheap and money well spent (considering the costs of coping with illegal immigrants in the US).

2) I agree that it's a bad idea to increase the number of visas. The bipartisan congreee committee are nonetheless beholden to their rich donors who often gain significantly from this kind of cheap labor.

3) I don't see anything in the bill that "throws tons of money at democrat states". One reason a bipartisan bill like this can pass is because of support for ALL states that need funding to deal with the migrant problem. You can call this pork, but it's also realistic. States need that support.

4) H-1B visa increases are lobbied for by big businesses who want cheap labor. It's mainly for Indians - something like 15 million of them in the past 50 years - and is not needed for the southern border. That said, 100k+ illegal Indian migrants have entered the US in recent years. Those aren't the ones H-1B visas are for, traditionally. The motivation for this increase in visas is BIPARTISAN, not just with Democrats. I'm very much against it, as we need to spend money in the US on training our OWN IT professionals.

5) I agree that there should be no adjustments to green cards, though perhaps this is related to the slowness of the system, which is overwhelmed. I read that change as a way of dealing with the massive backlog of green card processes. That's legal immigration that's already in process. Not really an illegal immigration issue.

6) Employers blackmail their illegal immigrant employees by making them work long hours at low wages, threatening to report them if they don't work those long hours. The legislation should IMPRISON employers who hire illegal immigrants, which would solve part of the problem. Protecting the illegal immigrant from this blackmail is perhaps the humanitarian thing to do. But this presupposes that the employer will not be prosecuted, which is the main problem, IMO.

7) I agree that taxpayers should not pay give illegal immigrants welfare money. It's an international humanitarian requirement, but it also encourages illegal migration, at a time when many of us citizens are living in cars.

8) I think the president should not have the authority to micromanage the DHS (& CBP), though the Executive Branch governs the DHS and that banning certain ethnicities is wrong.

9) Searching every inch of everything that crosses the border is GREAT. We need more of it. I think it's already part of the law, and if not, it should be.

10) Removal of any technology is merely approval to search phones and computers. This is also currently in their remit, I think. It's a horrible practice, but can be informative.

11) The Government Accountability Office does MUCH MORE than what you note. It's very important to have oversight for the DHS.

12) I'm not seeing in the bill signifcantly improved conditions for illegal immigrants, so perhaps the issue is assuring the usual humanitarian treatment a country is expected to provide. This would naturally be part of a budget bill that increases the size and capabilities of the CBP.