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Let’s clearly understand history.
In the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s the majority of Republicans were pro-immigration. Illegal immigration was no big deal. We were opposed to Nazis, Communists, murderers, rapists... DUI drivers, Drunk n Disorderly immigrating. We had criteria.

The Democrats were anti-immigrant... mostly because the unions were anti-immigrant. But they were inconsistent. Polish Democrats in Chicago were pro immigrant for refugees from Communism. Chicago Democrat politicians were pro illegal immigrant for anyone who would pay the bribe.

In the late 1990s and up to 2001 Pat Buchanan was the lone Republican with visibility who was anti-immigrant...anti-illegal immigrant. Nationwide Sean Hannity would ridicule Pat Buchanan for his anti-illegal immigrant stance and parrot the open borders line of traditional Republicans.

In 2001 (or was it 2002) Sean Hannity in one radio program switched from open borders to anti-illegal immigrant with no explanation of why he switched. Sean started parroting the Pat Buchanan line. Increasingly in talk radio conservative hosts flipped from pro-immigrant to anti-illegal immigrant. Increasingly that was where the audience for their advertisers was. Their flip was no different than Tucker Carlson becoming the mouthpiece for where his money comes from.... except most of us ended up agreeing with the anti-immigrant rhetoric...and so far ... most of us abhor the Tucker Carlson rhetoric.

Tight enforcement of immigration is a BIG GOVERNMENT task. That is the #1 reason Republicans historically opposed tight enforcement. Prior to Nixon most immigration was enforced by local police at the local level. The role of the Federal government was mostly limited to the high profile Nazi who snuck into OHIO and had to be deported. In Chicago, it was the Chicago police who put the DUI driver and Drunk n Disorderly immigrant on a one-way charter train car or bus to Mexico...including sending non-Mexicans to Mexico. (Let the Mexicans deal with it.) Occasionally other IL towns would send some undesireable to the Chicago Bus. it was local police, local control.

Nixon centralized all that local control into BIG GOVERNMENT National control.

That is a brief and correct history during my lifetime. (It is obviously short and leaves out many anecdotes like Cesar Chavez was anti-illegal immigrant).