The real problem is that most of our politicians and media talking heads don't have a clue.
We don't need "immigration reform" in the slightest. Our current laws work quite well with people who follow the rules we set for immigration. A prospective legal immigrant goes through a thorough background check to prove they are of good character, a full physical exam to prove they are not a health hazard, demonstrates some sort of needed skill and/or means of support, and has a sponsor who is responsible for keeping that person from becoming a burden on the rest of society. Illegal aliens just jump the fence -- with none of the above conditions met. The best they deserve is a polite but firm deportation.
What we really need is border security reform and interior enforcement reform -- and I use the term reform very loosely. Again, we have many existing laws more than adequate for the purpose. All we lack is politicians and bureaucrats with sufficient gonads to enforce existing law.
Let's say Jose has been caught crossing by the Border Patrol for the second time. The first time was a misdemeanor freebie; the second time was a felony. What if the we applied the felony rules? Jose is suddenly dirt cheap prison labor, working on public works projects of our choice for a minimum of a year -- followed by instant deportation. The third time, if he's way stupid? That's an aggravated offense and he ends up dressed in orange for a long time, doing jobs that Americans really, really, really don't want to do.
Or let's say a local company (Legree Industies, Inc.) gets caught with a bunch of illegals off the books. In this case, our immigration laws are just icing on the cake. RICO could also apply; unfair labor practices could generate huge civil suits; and tax evasion would result in all of the shuddering horrors that the IRS can bring to bear. It was no accident that the AgJobs bill contains a sweeping amnesty for employers.
Unless and until our pissant political parasites can demonstrate a sustained and successful record of border security and interior enforcement, they have no business even considering things like immigration reform or guest worker programs.
Not that I have much hope. Just about every politician out there would pimp out his gray-haired granny's fanny on a street corner if it meant a hat full of votes or a fist full of campaign cash.
I learn your mayor don't like y'all, your sheriff don't like y'all, the CBP don't like y'all, and now 44% of your people in your county want to give illegals free welfare.
Haven't you told them all the things you told us? The litter and cut fences, and frightened barnyard animals, and other horrors?
snicker...good one!