"There are pretty tough penalties in the laws, they just aren’t used."
Which is exactly why, when our immigration laws have so generously allowed 20 million legal immigrants a year in the past 20 years, a discussion of how those laws can be made less "strict" is irrational. The only thing needed is serious enforcement against the tens of millions who see that generosity as in invitation to ignore our laws.
Nowhere have I said that I would like to see changes made to make the laws less strict. I would actually support more strict laws.
However, if they aren’t going to be enforced, what laws we have is pretty much irrelevant.
Obviously, we haven’t allowed 20M immigrants per year for 20 years. Possibly 20M total in that time.
Which is far more than any other nation allows.