In the 19th century, legal immigration consisted of making it here and not having an obvious disease. But as Progressives love to tell us, situations change and laws have to adapt. In this case it works against them.
Exactly.And back then *everybody* understood that if you came here you either worked your a$$ off,had family who was willing to support you or you starved.Under those rules "open immigration" worked pretty well in the end.My Dad and his siblings,the children of Irish immigrants,told hundreds of stories of working their a$$ses off trying to get out of South Boston 100 years ago.Back then blacks hadn't made it to Boston yet and the Irish were the niggaz of Boston.
But every one of them made it to the middle class suburbs of Boston.In fact my father's boss,an industrialist and scientist who appeared on the cover of Time three times,attended my mother's funeral.
That's what can come of hard work.Or at least what could come of it once upon a time.