I think we should have a border that is as uncrossable as possible everywhere except the door, and at the door they just check your paperwork or help you get it if you don't have it.
"alright can I get your papers? oh you don't have them? alright go talk to ted he'll get you sorted, as long as your not a criminal you'll be an American within the day."
as a little aside, my preference would also be to offer basically a "starter kit" for refugees and the like where you get a free apartment for like a year, assistance with stuff like food and medical costs, and your choice of a government job (DMV and such) or assistance in aquiring some other job. maybe even offer a few different locations you could choose to be moved to to start out.
That would cost an insane amount of money and be wildly politically unpopular (why do immigrants get so much help before paying a single dollar in taxes when American citizens are struggling?).
And what's the point in blocking the entire border if anyone can become "an American within the day"?
I talking about my Ideal way of doing it, so presumably other stuff is also idealized in that scenario. the point of blocking everything but the door is not to keep people out, its to make them enter legally so we have the necessary stuff set up for them to be a citizen as fast as possible.