No immigrant ever got, housing, medical, food stamps or food, in state tuition or government sponsored loan. Their family stayed back in the "old country" until they could provide for them themselves, not their neighbors through welfare.
When unemployment grew, no immigrants were allowed in.
I know these things as I am an amateur genealogist and study lots about Immigration, Ellis Island and naturalization.
I'm not prejudiced against legal immigration, when we need it but never when we don't. I also am totally against illegal immigration of any kind for any reason, the reason being I know far too many folks from Canada and other Western European countries who'd love to come here legally but are not permitted to by our Department of State, in favor of non-English speaking peoples from Third World countries with no skills!
Lastly, we need to assimilate those already here and put a hold on all immigration as we are not lacking for workers, regardless what corporations are telling us as they do have enough engineers, etc. they'd rather have someone from the Far East who will work for one-fifth of American wages.
The were no immigration quotas until the 1920's. America was always about the benefit of individual freedom and the understanding that individual freedom is the cornerstone to a healthy and happy society. On that basis, there was a welcoming spirit generally although there has always been those who out of fear or prejudice didn't like the next wave of immigrants. But we ARE a nation of immigrants and we became a good and strong nation built on the freedom of immigrants to live and build their lives as they saw fit.