The Latino vote. You can’t win elections without the most votes. And Latinos are going to have more and more votes in the coming years. What politician or political party in their right mind would risk being labeled racist for supporting tougher immigration policies? The Latino votes must flow.

Drugs. Let’s face it. Drugs come across the border because buyers want to buy them and sellers want to sell them. Tougher security at the borders would almost certainly, as a side effect, mean reducing the flow of drugs. How many political donors have given huge amounts for an Federal border policy of looking the other way? And they’re going to want what they paid for. The drugs must flow.

Money. If you think people have howled about how much money George Bush has spent just wait until he hires enough new federal agents to guard the borders "properly".

Strategy. Let’s forget the disastrous policy of giving illegal immigrants tons of American taxpayer money. That’s already been discussed in reason 1. We’re talking about defending against terrorism. And in that case one can (and Bush has) made an argument our resources must be used where they are most efficient. Keep in mind it’s not that terrorists can’t or won’t come across the borders illegally. It’s that they haven’t made it their normal route. Why? Getting across the border is only part of the terrorists mission. Once inside they need a cover. What if they’re questioned for even a minor traffic violation? Possessing a legal permit is better than not.