Border crossings are down. Now is the time for Trump to fix immigration for good

Miami Herald

13-05-2025

America is at a crossroads on immigration. Border crossings are down, but it doesn't mean America's immigration problem has been fixed.
Immigration levels to this country — both legal and illegal — have continued their steep decline since last summer when Joe Biden issued executive orders to limit asylum seekers. There is no question that the tone set by the Trump administration has accelerated this trend. Worldwide, the administration has made it clear: America's borders will not be crossed through illegal means or by exploiting broken asylum loopholes.
For those of us who believe that America is a land of immigrants — and we are and should be welcoming legal immigrants while deterring illegal entry — this is good news. However, it's an incomplete look by economic and demographic estimates of what America needs in the coming years.
The Trump administration's change in tone has been successful in limiting newcomers, but tone is not policy. Rhetoric alone — or a blitzkrieg of Immigration Customs Enforcement round ups — will not bring lasting change.
Lower border crossings and immigration levels have temporarily eased pressure on the system. As a result, there is now an opportunity to create a functioning system of migration. Otherwise, America risks enduring another three decades of a broken system with no winners and plenty of losers.
America was built by immigrants. That's not just a poetic slogan — it's an economic fact.
Without a growing labor force, the economy will contract. The likelihood of recession was emerging before thousands of workers began self-deporting. Industries such as service, agricultural and construction have long relied on immigrant workers to do jobs Americans are less likely to do.
Florida knows this all too well. Without immigrant labor, crops rot in fields, homes can't be built or rebuilt after hurricane devastation and the service industry — restaurants to hotels — grinds to a halt.
Beyond the immediate workforce needs, the United States is suffering a population decline and is on the precipice of economic disaster. America's birthrate has fallen below replacement levels, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Programs retirees rely on such as Social Security and Medicare are funded by and dependent on working-age adults. In Florida, where 21% of the population is over 65, the pressure is acute. Without a growing workforce to pay taxes, these programs are facing insolvency.
The math doesn't lie. Without sufficient working-age taxpayers, America's entitlement systems face collapse — not from ideological disagreements, but from basic arithmetic.
America needs more workers.
During CO—'s Small Business Day 2025, Neil Bradley, executive vice president, chief policy officer and head of strategic advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discussed the need for expanding legal immigration pathways to fill labor shortages saying, 'If we're going to make a lot of new things in America, we're going to need more people to help us do that. And that means that we have to have more legal pathways for people to come into the United States.'
There are both micro and macro economic reasons to create a healthy and sufficient pathway for both guest workers and new citizens.
We can and must do both.
This isn't about open borders. It's about smart borders. Laws should be enforced, yes — but they should be modernized to address economic needs while maintaining border security.
President Ronald Reagan understood this when he signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which increased border security and granted a pathway to citizenship for roughly 2.7 million immigrants. Higher tax revenues, increased labor earnings, a boost to consumer spending and a 3 to 5% reduction in crime followed, according to a study by Associate Professor of Finance at Kellogg School of Management Scott Baker.
Since 1986, both parties have struggled with how to solve the immigration problem. But for better or worse, President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration has created an opening to fix the broken system.
Trump has the opportunity to burnish a generational legacy on this issue. He has a chance to be the first president in 30 years to get comprehensive immigration reform done. It's possible (and necessary) to defend the border and defend the American Dream at the same time.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: [e-mail]