A well-known analogy in the private business sector called the “Burning Platform”:

A raging fire awakens a man working on an oil platform. Even though he knows it is more than a 100-foot drop from the platform to the 40-degree sea, he jumps. Fortunately, a nearby boat rescues him.

When asked why he jumped, the man said, “Better probable death than certain death.”

Author uses this analogy to describe illegal immigration issue in the US. For more see this link.