I think people are "obsessed" to some degree because of the perception that a rather large illegal community is being catered to when they really should be deported. Personally, I as a taxpayer resent having to pay so that my government can produce translations of communications to "reach out" to the criminals.
Comparing the current crop of illegals to the immigrants that came before them in prior generations is disingenuous - they came here, assimilated, were definitely NOT catered to, and didn't exhaust our nation's resources by demanding public services to which they have no right.
Agree with all of your points except the part about previous generations "assimilating." While they did not try and overthrow the existing cultural order, the first generation of Southern and Eastern European immigrants settled in segregated enclaves, and did NOT generally mix with others. 98% come for purely economic reasons and not to "become Americans."
Besides, what does it really mean to be "an American?" Do you mean the Redneck subculture, the Urban Metro subculture, the black American subculture, the tight a-sed California suburban housewife subculture?
Deport illegals, penalize employers who hire illegals, and stop the government promotion of linguistic ghettoes. Other than that, I really don't give a damn.