Whatever your stance on what is now the second or third largest wedge issue in American politics and social media echo chambers, here are some observations based a single, in-person visit.

The wall is an unnatural interference in the natural balance of life in the desert, a fact many already know and ecologists detest. It's a metal behemoth interrupting animal migrations and human pathways, the later of which have existed in the region for more than 16,000 years. And the wall's short term goals, relatively speaking, will have lasting ecological impacts. Yet, these are all quickly dismissed by many in the face of a border crisis.

The wall isn’t working as effectively as some might hope. Within the 15-mile drive we made to Quitobaquito Springs we saw approximately 200 migrants who had found ways through or over the wall in broad daylight and were awaiting pickup by Border Patrol in hopes—one assumes—of claiming asylum in the U.S. They sat and waited or walked the well-graded road east toward Lukeville, where agency vans awaited near the highway to transport them to detention facilities. It appeared an act of hopeful surrender after what must have been harrowing journeys for some to reach the “finish line” of the United States. It might also be the wisest choice considering the countless miles of punishing emptiness that continued north to a rugged horizon. Who knows the true numbers of those who choose to continue north on foot, but in 2020 alone the remains of 239 migrants were found in Southern Arizona.

On the other hand, maybe the metal behemoth of a wall is working to stem an endless flow. If this challenging obstacle is being overrun by ~200 migrants an hour—a number an old friend and current border agent says is “pretty normal” for the area—then what would Organ Pipe National Monument look like with no wall at all? The American Dream—unreal as it now may seem for some born into it—is a powerful temptation for millions of fellow humans born thousands of miles away with far less. As long as we tout this to be the “Greatest Country on Earth” and spread American propaganda worldwide, how can we feign surprise at the endless influx of eager men, women, and children seeking gaps in physical and metaphorical barriers to join us? Then again, how can we sustain the influx?