Letter: Reconsider priorities

We often ignore ultimate causes when we tackle a problem, because solutions are long and difficult, or we can’t even agree on the cause. Yet we should try to pay attention to ultimate causes.

Consider illegal immigration. DACA is a lenient policy, and convincing examples are cited of children who excelled in school and are expected to contribute to society. But we never see a scorecard of how many did well and how many did not. Alternatively, building a wall is a non-lenient policy. But this approach is costly, a public relations nightmare, and still might not solve the problem (tunnels, airplanes?).

When we consider ultimate causes behind (illegal) immigration, we find many from Central America whose lives are in danger and seek to cross our border out of desperation. An ultimate solution may require addressing human rights abuses at the source. Our track record in Latin America is poor, and solutions require time and effort. Yet this national security problem may only be solved by addressing ultimate causes.

Fewer displaced people is win-win. This is a better investment than a never-ending war in Afghanistan, or a border wall. Shouldn’t we reconsider our priorities?