I can't actually figure out why this article is called "Why Illegal Immigration Doesn't Matter," but random headlines aside, it's an interesting look at how various countries run their immigration processes. That said, it rather misses the point. The current anger over immigration will not be assuaged by more sensible procedures or even more border security. It is an atavistic displacement of anger, anxiety, and even bigotry onto the nearest defenseless mass capable of being scapegoated. Solutions that address the policy but ignore the underlying emotions aren't solutions at all. Decent politicians will have to figure out how to either ease these emotion or validate them without tripping into the xenophobia they invite. And the need grows all the more acute because indecent politicians, like Mitt Romney, will sacrifice millions of hardworking immigrants for a temporary bump in the polls. --Ezra Klein
