As President Trump is deadlocked with Congress over border wall funding, the government suffers a partial shutdown and true immigration reform is put on the back burner. The fight over border wall funding is distracting Washington from making true immigration reform, according to Dr. Andrew Selee, the President of the Migration Policy Institute – a fact-based institute seeking to improve immigration and integration. Most Americans are in favor of controlled immigrations, according to Dr. Selee. But, immigration laws and loop-holes certainly need reform. However, lawmakers can’t grapple with true reform while they are entrenched in positions about the border wall being proposed by Trump and part of the federal government remains shut-down. These are distractions away from a true immigration overhaul. Dr. Selee also defines our immigration problems and describes the distinctions between illegal immigration and requests for asylum. He notes that most of the people currently seeking asylum from fearful conditions in their countries are from Guatemala and other Central and South American countries and not from Mexico. Dr. Selee points out flaws in the arguments of both sides. He notes that the President is not correct when he says most hard-drugs come through illegal immigration or asylum seekers. Instead, they are ferried into the country in vehicles, planes and ships through ports of entry. He notes that some in opposition are incorrect when they say that some walls don’t work. Dr. Selee notes that at some parts of the border walls are a proper deterrent whereas in other places walls would not work at all. He is hopeful that politicians and policy-makers can pull back from current brinksmanship and delve into true immigration reform matters. Prior to the Migration Policy Institute, Dr. Selee spent 17 years at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and founded the Center’s Mexico Institute. He also served as Vice President for Programs and Executive Vice President. He has written several books including his most recent: “Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together published by Public Affairs in 2018.