The relationship between the US and immigrants to this country is a mutually beneficial one. (Yer kidding, when did this happen?) The US provides an environment that allows immigrants to achieve or at least aspire for a life that is far better than back home in their original countries. At the same time, (they can ignore local and international laws) the US needs these immigrants. (NEEDS? Again, were did you come up with this NEEDS Bullshit?) At the low income level, no Americans will be willing to do the back breaking work of picking lettuce for minimum wage and no benefits. If they are, leave your families behind (like the immigrants do), move to the Central Valley in California, live in conditions like the immigrants to, and work for the wages like the immigrants do. (While we are at it, let's just bring back slavery and be done with this crap, so cry me a river already.) I am sure the commercial farms will be more than happy to hire them. (slavery model is profitable, too, and...?) At the upper end of the income and educational spectrum, Asian immigrants get a greater proportion of graduate and post-graduate degrees than Americans do. (Do tell, do they sneak in here an steal PHD's? or do they have an ethic and honesty and EARN them?) The American educational system is bad and getting worse. (so work on improving it, maybe?) So American graduates cannot compete against Asian immigrants who have a much stronger and rigorous educational background. If we keep Asian immigrants out, we lose out on our technical edge.
Having said all that, I do believe that illegal immigration should be curbed. ( Well, Duh!)
To the poster who used the lifeboat analogy - since we stole the lifeboat (WE? We all don't share that guilt complex) ourselves, we do not have clean hands when it comes to keep others from stealing.