"If America is a place, and not an idea, what is being 'protected' by anti-immigration stances?"
The rule of law?
You may not like the law, but it's still the law. And it's not changing, as a majority in congress will never be reached to vote to legalize people who cross the border in the middle of the night with no documentation.
A nation withouts borders is not a nation. If these people love America, like you pretend they do, why don't they obey the laws? Why do they get forged documents like social security cards, a felony? Why do they march in the streets talking of Texas, California and some other parts of the southwest belonging still to Mexico? Why do they fly Mexican flags?
The open borders lobby never ceases to amaze me with their pure stupidity. Luckily Americans see through that. They did in Arizona. They did in Colorado. They do in the opinion polls showing majority support for increased border agents, support for a fence, more spending on border security, end of catch and release and all those secure borders positions.
You aren't following the conversation: This isn't about the 'rule of law', we are not talking about illegal immigration, but immigration period. Tancredo is against increases in legal immigration as well as illegal.
And I repeat my question: If America is a place, not an idea, what is he protecting by opposing immigration?