It would probably be instructive to review the history of the Statue of Liberty. It was the brainchild of a Frenchman and reflected his idea of the obligation of the United States to the poor of the world. It never reflected the policy of the United States but unfortunately has helped foster the misguided idea that immigration policy should be primarily for the benefit of the people who want to come here rather than the benefit of the nation.
Well, until the 1920's, America freely welcomed basically everybody with security also being valid and important concerns. But America was made for the benefit of the individual and the individual was always the core value over the collection of individuals. Now it's the other way around - the collectivist state where the individual is there for the benefit of the U.S. This is not what America was founded on.