I encounter lots of (very likely) illegal immigrants who pay their full share of taxes. They have very convincing ID that employers are unable to verify. Even if an easy method of verification existed (which it does NOT), they can not verify in California without risking discrimination suits for "discriminating" against certain applicants. In any case, since a company's competitors also employ these folks, it simply does not pay, in any way, to turn down these laborers.
The anti-illegal immigration crowd keeps harping on walls and expulsion. However, these simply won't work without a rational system of legal immigration. Calling all rational systems "amnesty" shows a pathetic understanding of economics and how this is really working in real world, as well as the political realities and changing demographics of the nation.
"The anti-illegal immigration crowd keeps harping on walls and expulsion. However, these simply won't work without a rational system of legal immigration."
How do you know it simply won't work if you don't ever try it?
Eisenhower was very successful with operation wetback.