I disagree that they are both sides of the same coin. They are not.
I agree that the problems with legals and illegals share a similarity because the legal immigration has been artificially shaped to mirror as closely as possible illegal immigration, they are are different as a self inflicted bullet to the brain and a cancer that kills.
Both have a same end result, but are in no way philosophically, ethically, or morally the same, and I think that makes all the difference in the world. Just my opinion.
We will just agree to disagree. I have been working on this issue for over 9 years lobbying on the Hill and in Richmond.
A friend of mine wrote this article: Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Connection Between Legal and Illegal Immigration by James R. Edwards Jr
Both have a same end result, but are in no way philosophically, ethically, or morally the same, and I think that makes all the difference in the world. Just my opinion.
When you talk about the real impact on this country, they are intertwined. In fact, many illegal aliens join their legal relatives in this country rather than go thru the legal process, which can take many years. Chain migration extends way beyond the nuclear family, which is why many wait so long.
Are massive legal immigration and massive illegal immigration related? If so, how? Many in policy circles hold a view of “Legal immigration, good; illegal immigration, bad.”1 The logical extensions of such a simplistic perspective are to assume that the overall level of legal immigration does not matter and to underestimate any correlation to illegal immigration. But the facts show a distinct connection exists.
In brief, this report finds:
Legal and illegal immigration are inextricably related. As legal immigration levels have risen markedly since 1965, illegal immigration has increased with it.
The share of the foreign-born population who are illegal aliens has risen steadily. Illegal aliens made up 21 percent of the foreign-born in 1980, 25 percent in 2000, and 28 percent in 2005.
Mexico is the primary source country of both legal and illegal immigrants. Mexico accounted for about 30 percent of the foreign-born in 2000, and more than half of Mexicans residing in the United States in 2000 were illegal aliens.
The level of illegal immigration is severely masked by several amnesties that legalized millions of unlawfully resident aliens. The largest amnesty was the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which legalized 3 million aliens.
Amnestied aliens to date have been fully eligible to sponsor additional immigrants. This has contributed to the ranks of immigrants, both legal and illegal (and often both).
Many aliens who receive a permanent resident visa each year have spent years living in the United States illegally.
“Anchor babies” and “chain migration” provide opportunities for many aliens to plant roots in the United States. Those aliens might not otherwise have done so.
An overly generous legal immigration preference system, whose bias is toward relatives and against ability, sets unrealistic expectations. Many aliens who technically qualify to immigrate face the reality of backlogs and waiting lists.
Amnesties, technical qualification for a visa, chain migration, and vast opportunities to come to the United States (particularly via tourist visa, the most abused visa by eventual immigrants, according to the New Immigrant Survey) all foster an “entitlement mentality” among many foreigners.