"My Relatives Came Here Legally", shut up.

The line, endlessly repeated by politicians - both Republican and Democratic, "My relatives came here legally, and so should new immigrants" annoys the hell out of me.
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I find it intellectually dishonest (fancy way of saying a lie) because there were NO laws about immigration until 1875.  And even then, through WWI, the only people we excluded were Chinese, Asian Women (who were thought to be prostitutes), lunatics and anarchists.  That is a pretty low bar.  Sure - a couple of the current candidates couldn't pass it (that lunatic clause is tough for people that believe the world is only 4,000 years old), but most people reading this post could sneak in.
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If a Mexican National rode across the border in San Diego - then - poof "legal".
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If some crazy ass Swede floated to America with his dim-witted wife and six kids, the lunatic would be sent home and the wife and six kids could "come on down" (move to Minnesota and ultimately be responsible for Michelle Bachman - but I digress).
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Now, an honest position would be, "My immigrant relations didn't get ANY public support - except school".  That would be honest.  And, if you are willing to turn away the sick and injured from hospitals (like they did when your relatives came over) - that is a fair stance.  Sure - it would be hard to do logistically, but it is, in some sense, a fair stance.  It is a defensible position to deny food stamps, housing credit and hospitalization based on immigrant status (although not schooling, which is what most politicians try to do - go figure and score 1 for Rick Perry).  Then immigration would then be a simple trade off, very low wages and horrible living conditions are the "price" of entry.  THAT is what your relatives did "legally".
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Saying your relatives came here legally, and so should new immigrants is as dishonest as saying that your relatives came over here on a Yankee Clipper ship where 10% of the people got scurvy and another 10% developed an infection that would kill them - and all new immigrants should have to do the same.