It was inevitable. U.S. border security is now the number one issue on voters’ minds as we move into the heart of the 2024 presidential election season.

Our porous southern border has turned into a full-bore hemorrhage. Thousands of illegal immigrants pour in daily. In just three years, there have been over seven million migrant “encounters” by border security, along with an unknown (and likely large) number who evaded detection. Most — perhaps 10 million — remain in our country. Our capacity to absorb them is strained to the limit.

Nothing makes the situation more apparent than the viral video last week of a gang of young migrants beating up two NYC police officers — followed by the news that the five thugs who had been arrested were released without bail and then skipped town. The picture worth a thousand words is the photo of one of those perps strutting down the street after his release, brandishing a smirk and a two-handed middle-finger salute to his adopted countrymen.

Over the years, the mess at our southern border has taken on a mythical reputation as an unsolvable problem. But on balance, it’s really not that complicated. I’d offer the following as all we need to know:

1.) Who wants open borders? And why?

The Left makes no secret of its long-held preference for open borders. In 2020, every Democrat vying for the party’s presidential nomination, including Joe Biden, expressed that view. These days, as public confidence in the administration’s border policy evaporates, Biden is backpedaling; he claimed just last week that he’s been warning about the border crisis for years, that he’s done all he can to fix it but is stymied by lack of Republican support.

Nice try. On Biden’s first day in office, we all watched as he enthusiastically signed executive orders dismantling all of his predecessor’s border control policies and practices.

The progressives’ comfort with high levels of illegal immigration is not altogether illogical. We are a nation of immigrants; our workforce needs are increasing; we have genuine compassion for those seeking a better future for themselves and family. Or — more cynically — we can imagine them salivating over 10 million new Democrat voters.

The rationale doesn’t matter. What is essential for voters to recognize is that Democrats want open borders and that, given the opportunity, that’s what they will have.

2.) Why do Republicans insist on closing the border?

Open borders pose a massive threat to the safety and security of our country. Open means open — anyone can come in for whatever reason he/she chooses.

We don’t know who the 10 million illegal entrants are and why they came. No doubt most are good people simply looking for a better life. But if only 1% are bad actors, that’s 100,000 potentially involved in drugs (including fentanyl), gang violence, human trafficking, and even terrorism.

3.) Why the massive surge in illegal immigration?

Call it magnetic attraction. VP Kamala Harris may still be looking for the root cause, but it’s no mystery at all. We are the envy of the world, the land of milk and honey and boundless opportunity. Our door is wide open, and every prospective migrant knows that if you can just get your foot in that door, you will be able to stay.

It follows that the only way to regain control of our border is to reduce that magnetic attraction — and the only way to do that is to shut the door. The firehose analogy is sound — more buckets won’t get the job done; we must stem the flow of migrants. More Border Patrol agents and better asylum processing would be nice, but as long as the migrant firehose is gushing, we’ll be forever trying to keep pace, and we’ll never catch up.

4.) What about the illegal immigrants already here?

From our own 9/11 horror and from watching the disaster in Israel last October, we’ve learned to be particularly wary of the enemy within. We must stem the immigrant tide at our border, but we cannot forget about the unknowns who have already melted into the landscape.

Any comprehensive fix to our border security problems must place a high priority on that component.

5.) The bipartisan border security bill.

The Senate’s proposed border security legislation is finally on the table for all to see and consider. Both sides are playing politics — Republicans are loath to give Democrats any credit for fixing the problem they created, and Democrats are happy to let Republicans nix the bill and take the blame.

But the proposed bill is a bipartisan product, and it is the first substantial border security package in years with any chance for passage. Each side — and, in fact, each senator and representative — should examine it carefully and choose whether or not to support it based purely on the merits, not the political fallout.

Our divided country is not as divided as it often seems. For the most part, Americans want the same things for our country — we just differ on how to get there.

Common ground on this issue may be elusive, but it’s there. We all recognize and value America’s unique heritage as a nation of immigrants. At the same time, in this ever-more-violent world, we must keep our homeland safe and secure.

The composite solution is clear. We must do whatever it takes to stop illegal immigration. At the same time, we must overhaul our legal immigration policy and process to provide a proper entry path for those who are willing to come to America and participate in the ongoing work of building a great nation.

Perhaps there’s a ray of hope in today’s border chaos — an election-year wake-up call reminding us that border security is not optional. We must fix it.