“Secure nations need secure borders,” tweets the Heritage Foundation.

A nation maintaining a secure border and an orderly immigration process for those who would assimilate to its land is more than a hot-button election issue. It is not a patriotic nicety. It is not a problem for only states that are located on borders, nor is it something that affects only conservative Republicans. It is not a buzzword on a list of terms to the left of numbers and percentage symbols. It is not a talking point to be used when politically convenient and popular. It is an absolute necessity for the well-being of a sovereign nation’s citizens, and it is one of the very foundations of a free republic.