If you ever wondered what’s wrong with politics and government, look no further for evidence than “the wall.”

I realize things change over time. I get that.

But the immigration issue? C’mon, man.

The level of hypocrisy with regard to this issue is almost unimaginable.

I remember the good old days, way back in 2006, when folks in Washington were on the same page.

But first, let’s be honest for a moment. Immigration should not be that difficult. Frankly, if only we would have been enforcing the immigration laws already on the books for the last 30 years, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today. If they just started enforcing the laws we have in place today, the problem – aside from what to do with the millions here illegally – would be solved fairly rapidly.

But it isn’t being solved because the immigration issue these days is not really about immigrants. It’s about politics.

I saw a tweet this week: “Let’s get real, folks. If illegals were voting Republican, @chuckschumer himself would be on the border laying bricks.”

It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. But tragic as it is, it’s the naked truth.

But I digress. Let’s get back to the good old days. That’s when the U.S. Congress passed the Security Fence Act of 2006. Ah, yes, and it was rammed through by a Republican majority as Democrats roundly criticized it as immoral and racist, right? Wrong.

Democrats loved the idea.

Demo Sens. Biden, Schumer, Feinstein, Clinton, Obama, et. al., were all on board.

Obama: “The bill before us will certainly do some good.” His praise of the bill included the notion that it would provide “better fences and better security along our borders” and “help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.”

Feinstein: “Democrats are solidly behind controlling the border, and we support the border fence. We have to get tough on the border. There’s no question the border is a sieve.”

You get the picture. So the 2006 act passed with back slapping, handshakes and high fives on both sides of the political aisle.

By April 2009, the Department of Homeland Security had erected about 613 miles of new fencing and vehicle barriers along the southwest border from California to Texas.

What? Noooo!! Racist!! Immoral!!

Ancient history, you say. Twelve years ago, you note. True.

So let’s forge ahead to 2013, when once again the U.S. Congress had fencing on its mind.

Remember The Gang of Eight? That was eight senators – four Dems and four Republicans – who came up with the “Southern Border Fencing Strategy.” The bill called for 700 miles of fencing along the border.

But there was more. It wasn’t just fencing. There were other security measures and a way for the estimated 11 million illegal aliens already in the U.S. to gain citizenship. The path to citizenship was clunky, at best. It likely would take the better part of a decade to happen, but it was a start. The bill passed in the U.S. Senate with 68 votes including those of Dems Schumer, Durbin, Murray, Baldwin, Bennet, Blumenthal, Brown, Cantwell, Cardin, Casey, Coons, Feinstein, Gillibrand, Hirono, Kaine, Klobuchar, Leahy, Manchin, Menendez, Merkley, Murphy, Reed, Sanders, Shaheen, Stabenow, Tester, Warner, Warren, Whitehouse and Wyden. That’s right. They all voted for a bill that included fencing the southern border in 2013.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans demanded the security part had to get done before the citizenship parts took effect. They blocked the bill from getting a vote and it died. But according to reporting at the time, a large majority of Democrats in the House were in favor of it. And had it passed, President Obama would have signed it.

So what happened between 2013 and today that convinced Democrats that walls are racist and immoral?

Donald Trump.

He made it one of the signature planks in his platform.

So all that matters is labeling Trump and Republicans as immoral racists for suggesting that maybe we need better border security, even though as recently as 2013 a sturdy majority of Democrats were suggesting exactly the same thing.

But no more. You see, today’s Dems seem to think lax immigration policies bode well for long-term electoral politics. Look at California, where fully one-fourth of everyone there is foreign born and there hasn’t been a Republican elected to statewide office since 2006. If only the rest of the America could be like that, eh? Never mind that social services are being taxed to the limit and the middle class is fleeing.

I don’t know if a wall or security fencing is a good idea or how effective it would be at stemming the tide of illegal immigration. But I certainly don’t think it’s immoral or racist to think it might help.

An neither did people like Chuck Schumer, at least not until Trump showed up in Washington.

What this tells me is that today’s immigration debate is not about fairness or policy. It's not about what's best for America.

It’s 100 percent politics. It’s about gaining or retaining power. It’s about assigning blame for a government shutdown and hoodwinking voters. It’s about flipping red states blue.

Meanwhile, migration flow into the U.S. is changing. More children and families are showing up at the border. Of 140,000 apprehensions at the border this past month – yes, this past month – more than half were women and children. Smugglers are encouraging families to make the journey. Government shelters are maxed out and ill-equipped. Migrants are being released into border communities. Community organizations are maxed out, too. One community organization in El Paso is struggling to serve 2,300 migrants per week.

It’s awful and untenable.