The Republican Party is a coalition of voters with different interests.
You've got Republicans who are BusinessBots, TaxBots, AbortionBots, GunBots, BorderBots and WarBots.
Clearly YOUR view of the "Number One Issue" is the War On Terror. I doubt there are many who are far away from viewing the WOT as a top issue. But you said that the Border is somewhere around number 5 in issue importance. That reflects your view of the issue.
They don't agree, and we probably can't win the election without them.
What's going on is that the BusinessBots are getting their way on cheap labor, and the BorderBots are getting the back of the hand. That works for keeping the business contributions to Republican coffers at a maximum, but it might also work to keep BorderBot voters at a minimum...which will mean the loss of power, which will make the WOT more difficult to fight.
So, you need to re-evaluate your view of the importance of the immigration issue. It's not an issue that interests you on the MERITS, perhaps, but politically speaking it is the most important issue as concerns the War On Terror. Why? Because the immigration issue is the one that looks to carve a fatal wound in the GOP vote, as BorderBots defect. That hands Congress to the Democrats and loses the WOT.
So, to win the WOT, you've got to get the BorderBots back on board, even if you're not interested in their issue, and are angry with them for jeopardizing YOUR "Alpha issue", the WOT by their threatened defection.
I take their threat seriously. Immigration is the issue that is shaking the Republican Party to people. Sooner or later, the party is going to have to do things that hurt the BusinessBots a bit, not too much, in order to placate the BorderBots. Pretending that the border's a non-issue isn't going to do that: it's going to lose the election and thereby, the War. Giving the BorderBots the back of the hand isn't going to do it either.
They have to be taken seriously, on their own terms, and given something, or the well of political support runs dry, Congress changes hands, and the funds for Iraq are cut very quickly.
The War On Terror probably depends on appeasing the BorderBots. If the WOT really is the Number One Priority, then giving the BorderBots what they want in order to keep Congress and the WOT on track really shouldn't be so hard.
What is the CONSEQUENCE of giving the BorderBots their agenda? Do other Republicans stop voting for the GOP because the Border is closed? Democrats aren't going to vote GOP anyway.
If the WOT is that important, then you must understand the need to get the BorderBots back on board. Otherwise we're sunk.
There is little to be done with the Cut Off Their Noses to Spite Their Facers. It is one threat after the other from them and as a consequence they cannot be TRUSTED or relied upon. And they are NOT the base. The Base sticks with the President through thick and thin and defends him against the enemies of us all. The Base does not cut and run away whining about the issue de jour.
And if you believe building a fence will do it I can only say you must not have been paying attention since 2000.