This is not to say that increased enforcement has no enemies. Most House Democrats representing safe, liberal districts still oppose it, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid might yet find a way to derail the fencing provision in the Senate. The argument against the fence is, as Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has put it, "You show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border." This is true, and also beside the point. If illegals have to deploy 51-foot ladders to get here, their transit manifestly is going to be more difficult, and therefore fewer will attempt it.
But a fence itself isn't sufficient. The key is stepped-up interior enforcement to cut off the jobs magnet that draws so many illegals here. The so-called Basic Pilot program — a small, voluntary system allowing employers to verify the legal status of their employees by computer — must be expanded and made mandatory. The Social Security Administration also has to tighten up its system of notifying employers when they hire people using fake Social Security numbers. It currently is full of holes that exist as a matter of policy to allow businesses, with a nod and a wink, to keep hiring illegals. These measures would really bite, and therefore are sure to encounter the bitter opposition of pro-illegal groups.
In the meantime, score one for the Neanderthals. They have shown that Washington can be made to respond to public opinion on immigration, for a change.