During the 60s and 70s, it was simple: If you were here illegally and you were caught, you were deported. It did not matter if you had kids that were American etc. You could marry an American to keep from being deported, but immigration investigated the situation to make sure it was legit. I worked in an industrial park area in the 70's and would regularly see the immigration vans making raids on businesses. You would see people scatter, run through fields, jump out windows, etc. It was quite the spectacle. One problem then as now, not enough sanctions were placed upon the businesses that hired these people. That has to change. If there are no benefits or jobs for them, they won't come. If an employer is caught employing illegals, take away the employee tax exemption and place fines. Losing tax exemptions will usually result in things changing quickly. If we do not crack down on one of the biggest magnets that brings people here illegally, we will be fighting a losing battle.

You are right, I don't think there will be the political will to get the job done. In addition, unless the Congress reverses the power they handed over to the Federal Judiciary to make decisions in one state that can block or order actions nationally, nothing will change with regards to dealing with this problem. Anything the administration tries to do will be undone or blocked by some liberal judge. That is essentially why we are in this mess. A single Federal Judge can stop the entire process. Congress ceded power over to the courts so they wouldn't have to do the job we elected them to do. They can take that power back - but I doubt they will.