In A Place for MexAmerica: Between the Border and the Wall, Jim Bennet (The Anglosphere Challenge) makes an unusual recommendation — don’t build a fence at the border; fence off a portion of the US near the border:
In short, if we want a reformed Mexico, perhaps the best way to get it is to let it be built on our own soil — or at least a Zone that would have an extremely powerful demonstration effect for Mexico proper. We have seen that Mexicans working within Anglo-American legal systems, and in the American economy, have worked hard and enjoyed substantial success. Those who say we need a large supply of Mexican workers can move to the Zone and enjoy an almost unlimited supply thereof. Labor-intensive facilities such as nursing homes might find it a good place to locate — lots of sunshine, too. Want affordable domestic help? Move to the Zone. In the meantime, Mexicans working in the Zone have the full protection of American employment and labor law, which would apply in the Zone just as anywhere else.
If we could move all agriculture to New Mexico, maybe I could begin to take the idea seriously…