Thanks Derek.
I want to especially focus on the bolded because I know that a lot of conservatives believe as you do about this, and I think it may represent the key disconnect between our two sides.
The main reason I don't refer to these people as illegal is because, at worst, they're breaking a misdemeanor by being here. Most studies that I have read demonstrate that undocumented people are on a whole actually MORE law abiding than documented people, and this makes sense if you stop to think about it, because they are more cautious about having to deal with authorities. That being said, there are plenty of exceptions, and unfortunately these make a lot of headlines.
But it's very problematic that you and so many others seem to group all undocumented people together with the worst, most violent criminals. That was part of President Trump's rhetoric from the beginning of his campaign and it bothered me tremendously; simply put, I think it's a false claim based on irrational fear. Based on your writing, you do not strike me as a stupid or irrational person, so its frustrating to me that you would seemingly share this attitude.