My Thoughts on Immigration

If you want to some to this country, great.
If you don't, that's great too.

If you are able & willing to come this country legally, phenomenal.
If you are able, but not willing, to come to this country legally, get out.
If you are not able to come to this country legally, and choose to come here illegally (or come here legally, then intentionally overstay your visa), then I think you need to accept the fact that you chose to do something you knew was illegal, and therefore need to accept the consequences (deportation) gracefully.

Unlike many others, I am rather unemotional on the subject, either way.

I understand why many people take the risk to come here illegally, and they have my sympathies. But I also think that any time you choose to do something that is against the law, then you are acknowledging that you have decided that the penalty for getting caught (in this case deportation) is outweighed by the benefit (in this case living in the U.S.).
I gained more sympathy for illegal immigrants after I dated a (legal) Portughese immigrant. It's much more difficult to become a U.S. citizen than you'd think. Or at least than I thought anyway.

So I understand why in some cases, people would be willing to risk coming here illegally.

At the same time, I think people need to recognize the fact that they broke the law, and they should be willing to pay the consequence if they are caught.

I don't really see what all the fuss is about, to be honest.

Break law = pay consequence

If you think it's an unjust law, then work to change it. But in the meantime, you need to accept the risk that was taken.

Oh, and those of you all fired up about the Arizona law? Read it. Yesterday I read it in its entirety. And I don't really understand what all the fuss is about. By the language of the bill, it is very clear that the intent was to give state & local authorities power to assist the federal government in enforcing federal law.
Again, if you don't like the law, work to change it. But to throw hissy fits at a state because they're enforcing a federal law? Now, how does that make sense?
Oh, and it ends up that almost every state has its own laws regarding the handling of illegal immigrants. Some strikingly similar to the Arizona bill. And why hasn't the general public heard about those? Can you say M-E-D-I-A hype?