Firstly, those who believe "everyone is equal" should not have any truck with the idea that some illegals are more important than American citizens, because they shouldn't be believing anyone is more important than anyone else.
Secondly, if these people experience inequality in their home countries, I'm very sorry for them, but that does not mean that Americans have to pay to redress that, because Americans are in no way completely responsible for it.
Thirdly, America is wealthy, but its wealth, and its capacity to absorb immigrants, does have a limit. That is basic math. 12 million extra people mean 6-7 million extra jobs and/or welfare payments; 3-4 million extra homes, 2-3 million extra school places; which means hundreds of thousands of extra teachers; thousands more eating places, thousands of square miles of living space; and so on and so and so on. California is already on the brink of bankruptcy.
I have spoken to hundreds of these people, in English and in Spanish, and those are their basic assumptions. Yes, they are stupid. They are the living embodiment of “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Forgot to say: I think it is very important that our country put the interests and well being of American citizens first, and make their interests more important, than anyone else’s. If our government doesn’t, who will? In that sense, WE are more important than those who break our laws to come here. Similarly, I believe our legal immigration laws and policies should be based on what is good for us, what benefits us, not the immigrants. Again, if our own government doesn’t defend and look to our well being, who or what will? This is what is at the heart of “consent of the governed.”