Nativists and xenophobes appalled by the “open border” policy that has allowed millions of asylum seekers to enter the United States often harken to a nonexistent history when immigrants followed the rules and waited to be invited before entering the U.S. However, Ellis Island was exactly like Eagle Pass, Texas today; German, Irish, Italian and other immigrants were allowed in en masse, without visas, and became the great-grandparents of the vast majority of citizens today.