That's the quandery in a nutshell. Concerning the illegals that are already here, no party is going to send out thousands of INS or military to round up and deport illegals from all over the US (and break up families with children who are citizens and parents who are not) and put illegals on cattle cars headed for Mexico (political suicide), etc. Do we grant amnesty to avoid a bigger underground economy? To create more eventual tax payers?, etc....Or do we leave them as fugitives to hide and become criminals and push drugs and steal to eat from you and me, and grow a subculture that hates us, etc. Which of those alternative is best for us in the long run?