Yet it is worth looking at what is happening beyond the border. For even while the surge of irregular migration has soaked up attention and resources, legal immigration has rebounded. And on June 18th President Joe Biden announced new safeguards—including work permits and protection from deportation—for people who have been living illegally in the country for years but are married to American citizens. The move was crafted to appeal to, among others, Latino voters and to assuage progressives angered by Mr Biden’s crackdown on illegal migration in an executive action two weeks ago. At a stroke it also swells the ranks of the country’s legitimate residents by about 500,000 people.