The debate over America’s border policies often gets tangled in national politics, angry cable-news segments, and social-media shouting. But beneath all that noise, the issue comes down to something our readers in Allegan, Clare, Van Buren, St. Joseph, Calhoun, Jackson and the communities we cover understand very clearly: a nation—just like a town, a home, or a business—cannot function without clear rules, enforced boundaries, and a plan for who enters.
Yet some political voices are pushing for open borders, or policies that come dangerously close to them. They argue that the United States should allow anyone from anywhere to come in freely, without limits. It may sound compassionate. It may make for a tidy slogan on a protest sign. But it is not practical, sustainable, or fair to the communities that end up bearing the burden.
Let’s be honest: even today, with borders now controlled, many towns and cities are overwhelmed because of the migrants allowed in during the previous administration. Major urban areas—New York, Chicago, Denver—are already scrambling to find housing, schooling, and medical care for the millions of migrants that passed through our borders. These aren’t wealthy municipalities with unlimited budgets; their cities now cutting other services to make room for immigration-related needs.
If large cities with billions in resources are struggling, imagine the strain on smaller Midwestern counties like ours. We operate on thin margins. Local schools depend on millages. Hospitals in rural Michigan aren’t exactly swimming in extra beds, staff, or dollars. When the federal government fails to manage the border, it’s towns like ours that end up dealing with the consequences—without the funding to do so.
Controlled borders are not about shutting the door. They are about managing the flow so communities, charities, schools, and law enforcement can keep up. It’s about making sure that immigration works for everyone, not just for those who cross the border but for the taxpayers asked to support them.
There’s also a basic issue of fairness. Millions of people immigrate legally, filling out paperwork, waiting years for approval, and going through background checks. That process reflects America’s values: order, opportunity, fairness, and respect for the law. It is a long, arduous process, but one that has worked for decades. But when illegal entry becomes commonplace—or worse, when it becomes tolerated—those who follow the rules are treated as fools for bothering.
Then there’s the impact on wages and local job markets. We’re often told immigrants do jobs “Americans won’t do.” The truth is more complicated. Americans will do those jobs when employers offer fair wages. But if industries can rely on an endless stream of low-wage labor crossing the border illegally, the pressure to raise wages evaporates. That hurts every working family, immigrant and American alike.
Controlled borders protect workers by keeping wages honest.
Most importantly, border security is a matter of national safety. We check IDs to enter a high school gymnasium. We require driver’s licenses at traffic stops. We enforce rules at courthouses, airports, and even small-town festivals. Yet some believe the border of the United States—the very line that separates us from the rest of the world—should be the one place where rules don’t apply.
That defies common sense.
America can remain a generous, welcoming country. We always have been. But generosity without limits isn’t generosity at all—it becomes chaos. One only has to look across the Atlantic to Sweden, Belgium or other EU nations that are rapidly approaching chaos because of their border policies. A stable nation can accept newcomers only at a pace it can absorb, and only when it knows who is entering and why.
Controlled borders are not anti-immigrant. They are pro-stability, pro-community, and pro-America. They protect our towns, our budgets, our workers, and our national integrity. If we want immigration to succeed, if we want newcomers to thrive—we must manage it, not surrender to it.
The path forward is simple: secure the borders, enforce the rules, and welcome people at a sustainable, lawful pace. That’s not cruel. That’s responsible. And it’s what this country needs right now.
