[acjohnson55]

It would be one thing if it were some kind of sacrifice to have immigrants, but if all the undocumented immigrants disappeared, we would be substantially worse off as a country. We would have a shrinking, aging population.

The system of rules they are breaking is kept slow, arbitrary, and complex so that we can benefit from their labor without granting all the rights of being US citizens. This is so that they can be illegally exploited, but also because of the anxieties Americans have about the dilution of their culture (and to some, their bloodlines) by other ethnicities.

We didn't always have a system like this. It evolved into what it is, and now people feel morally righteous about upholding laws their own ancestors never were subject to.

And not a small number of people who did navigate the system but want everyone to have to pay the same dues. It's reminiscent to me of the folks with 4 year engineering degrees feeling salty that other folks have gotten into the industry through bootcamps, for a fraction of the time and money.