[widebody911]

What we have are several overlapping/competing issues, and should really be broken into another thread:

• The guy's doc status is irrelevant to the overall story, but is intended to add a level of drama to the incident. For a different spin, sub 'black guy,' 'redneck,' 'rich white guy' in place of 'illegal'.
• Businesses want illegals here, because the threat of 'outing' illegals puts downward pressure on wages
• anectdotal evidence suggests illegals are willing to do crap work, and do it harder/better/faster than the spoiled gringos, which is why businesses want them
• there has been a cultural identity 'movement' for some time, where it's considered 'selling out' to "Americanize" yourself, so various communities go to great lengths to (what they consider) preserving their identity, when in reality they appear to be ostracizing themselves.
• Old-school Ellis Island-style immigrants bent over backwards to integrate themselves. They worked their ass off to learn english, or they suffered
• New-school imigrants bend over backwards to make themselves stand apart, for the sake of 'cultural identity' and demand that the rest of the country adapt to them in terms of language, requiring bizarre accomodations for their culture, etc.
• I know immigrants who have integrated so well you wouldn't know where they were from - there may even be one on this thread - can you spot him?
• I also know immigrants who have been here close to 20 years, and don't speak a frickin' word of English.
• politicians are working both sides: they cater to new-school immigrants hoping to broaden their base (Dems), and cater to businesses who want to maintain the supply of cheap labor (Reps)
• the 'system' of allowing people into the country needs to be streamlined to a) make it easier for a mutually beneficial relationship; b) justify stiffer punishment for those who come over illegally and employers of same.