Let's say the U.S. has only so many dollars to spend on illegal immigration which doesn't cover everything possible to reduce it, would you recommend spending the money on a wall, on manpower or spread it between the two, knowing neither the wall nor the manpower shortage will be adequately funded?
Since you asked, I would make it a criminal action to a) employ an illegal immigrant with a 30 day jail term for the 1st offense, 60 day 2nd offense, 90 day for the 3rd offense, etc, etc.
b) make it illegal to allow school districts to allow illegals to go to school there with the same punishments as (a) for school administrators
c) any city, county, state or federal official defending illegals in sanctuary cities would have same punishments as (a&b)
d) all welfare benefits (food stamps, ADC, WIC, Medicaid, etc) would not be given to illegals
I would give all illegals 30 days to leave the country on their own uninterrupted. Once that 30 days is up I would completely close the border and put military personnel on the border until the wall was completed. After the wall was completed there would still be border patrol agents along the border every so many miles to insure no one gets through.
After all of this is done I would open the guest worker program and would allow visas given for farm, factory, construction and other businesses that need employees that Americans won't do. Those legal workers would receive health care and freedom to send their kids to school here as well.
Regardless of what it costs initially the savings over the long haul would be worth it. Legal workers who commit crimes would be sent back and their visas taken. Any illegal caught at this point here would be put in a detention jail and later deported.
If these things were implemented the desire to get in this country illegally would evaporate AND the desire for business people to hire illegals would go as well. The first time a meat packing plant owner did 30 days in jail would be the last time, I guarantee.