As President Trump likes to say, a nation that can not control its own borders is doomed to failure. The state has an imperative duty to its citizens to control access to its territory through its borders.

But is a border wall the answer?

The cost of his proposed wall is prohibitive. The Department of Homeland Security has placed it at $21.6 billion, while Senate Democrats have assessed a much higher figure of $70 billion.

But it is not merely the cost. A wall is unlikely to be effective. We have an extremely long southern border: 1,954 miles, to be exact. Although walls have been effective for short distances, the prospect of physically preventing illegal immigration across the length of our southern border is another thing altogether. What we need are real measures in place to remove the incentives for illegal immigration, and to streamline the process of matching deserving and qualified legal immigrants with jobs in the U.S.

Our current immigration policy makes it extremely difficult for companies to fill high-skilled positions, and at the same time makes it extremely costly and time-consuming for immigrants who have such qualifications to enter the U.S. These are people who play a critical role in our economy, and pay far more into our system in taxes than they take out in benefits. They are also highly educated people, with advanced degrees, who are far less likely even to consider entering the country illegally in the first place.

On the other hand, we reward low-skill, low-income immigrants who sneak across our southern border by establishing "sanctuary cities," and facilitating their enrollment in our social services. Blue state Democrats have been egregiously irresponsible in this regard, going so far as to welcome and even praise illegal immigrants, for coming to our shores. These are people who largely work under the table for cash, and place unbelievable strains on our public education, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, and justice system.

This leaves us with the worst of all worlds. We block out the skilled immigrants we desperately need, who are a net gain for our economy and society, and we provide incentives and encouragement to illegal immigrants who place net burdens on our society.

Democrats look at mass illegal immigration and see potential for new Democratic voters and increases to the size of government. Mainstream Republicans see it as a steady stream of low wage workers for big business.

Trump's immigration policy is nothing new: It is merely a proposal to uphold existing law. But it's time for the Trump administration to consider that a wall could be far less effective than creating the appropriate incentives. Aggressively target illegal immigration, fight the public policy battles against sanctuary cities, and then also provide hope and sanity to a host of hardworking, law-abiding immigrants who want to work in the U.S., and are desperately needed.

That is why Trump should propose the following: For every illegal immigrant deported from the U.S., we will create one position in a guest worker program that someone appropriately qualified and vetted can fill.

This would allow maximum enforcement of the laws against illegal immigration and the employers who hire illegal immigrants, while also filling the needs of a free-market economy that thrives on speed and efficiency in appropriately matching employers and employees. Trump could significantly alleviate the strains on government that illegal immigration creates, all the while creating an integrated and lawful labor market across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.

We are not a daycare center for the third world, and we are not responsible for solving the problems of South and Central America. We should, however, be open to considering measures that would be mutually beneficial to the American economy, and hardworking immigrants from Latin America or elsewhere. So let's crackdown on illegal immigration and also expand opportunities for law-abiding immigrants in the places where they are essential to the economy.

David Unsworth is former English editor of the PanAm Post. He currently resides in Bogota, Colombia.

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