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RE:"Many Hispanics who have been here for a few generations have assimilated to the point where they understand the opposition to illegal immigrants is not motivated by racism."

The corrupt Mexican government tries hard to establish its control over its "citizens living abroad" (even if born in the U.S.) and no doubt likes them to believe that they are victims of any kind of ism in the U.S.

prior to the 1980s

There were Mexican government efforts to

attract and remind permanent U.S. residents of their Mexican heritage
along with programs providing temporary workers for the U.S.

But nothing in the former like today.

1980s Legal immigration

Under President Salinas

Mexican political parties undertook to bond with U.S. citizens of Mexican descent and
Mexico re-established Mexican citizenship for the Americans;
Mexico's dual citizenship advocates sought to augment votes.

Mexico's

web of multitudinous consulates and
Mexico's new program for Mexican communities abroad (Program for Mexican Communities Abroad, PCME)

became very active in the U.S.

By 1990 Mexican policy had

accepted their citizens' permanent settlement in the U.S.,
sought to reinforce its emigrants' homeland ties and,
encourage their organizational development in the U.S.

1996 LA Times article

1990s legal immigration

Mexico wanted Mexican-Americans to

help defend Mexican interests in the United States;

President Ernesto Zedillo (1990s) spoke to Mexican-American politicians telling them

"You're Mexicans -- Mexicans who live north of the border" and
urged them to help create an ethnic lobby with political influence similar to that of American Jews;
as Mexican-Americans become more powerful they were to defend and
advocate Mexican interests in the United States.

1995 NY Times article

1980s Illegal immigration

The Immigration Control and Reform Act (IRCA) in 1986

gave amnesty to almost three million mostly Mexican undocumented aliens;
these millions became the "basis for a new era in Mexico’s relations with its diaspora"
including a network of Mexican activist organizations in the United States.

Mexican Policy & Émigré Communities in the U.S.

And then there is the emergence of hometown philanthropic clubs that send multi-billions of dollars to Mexican communities saving all levels of the corrupt Mexican government from having to depart with a peso to help its citizens. A better term is

"hometown associations";
HTAs have been around a long time;
some of the most famous HTAs were the German Nazi HTAs.

Meanwhile if that money remained in the hands of the ILLEGAL aliens (undocumented workers) would they need taxpayer support for food, housing, healthcare, education, and all other transfer payments that states and communities provide them?

IMO it's the way the corrupt government of Mexico "taxes" its citizens in its "Nation without borders."

So yes, undocumented workers do pay taxes.

Federations give Mexicans voices

Immigrant Mexican philanthropic groups turn toward politics