Have a real war and shoot the smugglers, the pushers, and the users. Revisit the Halls of Montezuma, take over Mexico for our own good, then relocate the Southern border to Guatemala.
Sub-contract out border control to someone who isn't big on human rights such as the North Koreans or Chechens or even Taliban...someone like that. Pay them big if no one makes the crossing. Make a 1 kilometre wide strip the length of the border not subject to US law (sound a bit radical, well what do you think Guantanamo Bay was all about) and let these people go for it.
(Your newly appointed border patrol) Of course you may have a lot of dead Mexicans along the fence, but once they get used to the routine the body count will fall away. This is not a new concept, the Russians used it during the soviet years for policing borders with good effect. This solution may sound a bit radical and unethical, but for some people so is invading Iraq and Afghanistan.
A bit of collateral damage is not an issue here.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.