The Constitution allowed the “right” to hold slaves when it was written. That didn’t make slavery good. Nor did breaking various laws by aiding runaway slaves make those lawbreakers bad. Basically, insofar as there is a “right” to be a bigot, being a bigot is wrong and the laws should change to reflect that.

And I have to ask you: have you ever purchased something from Amazon? If so, did you pay your use tax? If not, you, too are a lawbreaker. And this despite the fact that it’s much, much easier for you to comply with the law than it is for the average illegal immigrant.

Also, how is your immigrant friend harmed if another immigrant comes here without filling out the appropriate paperwork? And if the paperwork is so onerous that millions of people are unable to complete it, isn’t the solution to fix the rules so that poor, uneducated people have a realistic shot at complying with them?

My problem is that it’s illegal. No first world country tolerates illegal immigration the way we do (a half million deportations a year is a sign of the magnitude of the problem, not a measure of success against millions of illegals).

I have two friends who are legal immigrants and trying to abide by the rules and get citizenship. Their thanks for this is thousands of dollars in legal fees and endless hassle. Why should we let people flaunt the rules and just skate in as they please?

The US is a country made of immigrants and only a fool would oppose immigration in principle, but it has to be an orderly, legal operation. I wouldn’t at all mind a process where illegal immigrants can become legal, as long as they aren’t allowed to cut in line ahead of people already trying to pursue a legal path. Trying to deport them all is a folly of equal magnitude to turning an official blind eye to the problem.