My grandparents were legal immigrants. Immigrants built this country, and are still building it. If we were to cut off immigration and deport all the illegals, no one would cook our food, mow our lawns, rake our leaves, do the construction dog-work, babysit our kids. Everything would cost more--if it got done at all.

BUT:

Illegal immigration is bad--period--and needs to be controlled:

First, illegals are horribly exploited by "labor contractors" who are the modern-day equivalent of slavemasters. Often their lives are in peril coming here, and eventually in their workplaces and living places, which seldom if ever comply with rudimentary health and safety laws.
Second, with terrorism a constant threat, keeping our borders porous and looking the other way at illegal immigration because it's cheap labor constitutes an invitation to terrorists to enter along with the illegals.
Third, if we want these people to be good citizens, we can't start by telling them it's ok to break our laws--and reward them for doing so.

I have a second home in Arizona. That's where illegal immigration is a pandemic. Last year, AZ caught 1.5 million illegals--and that's only the ones who got caught. Imagine how many more got through? Some of our border towns are like war zones. The burden on law enforcement, taxpayers and legal citizens is crushing. We need a rational immigration policy now.