Illegals.. I don't know what to think

I'm from Phoenix which of course is one of the Illegal Immigrant hubs of the country. They don't bother me. Most of them are as honest and hard working as the day is long. They do hard, hot, dirty work that I honestly don't think most Americans want any part of. Most of them simply want a better life for themselves and their families. Who wouldn't? I know that if I had to chose between a desperate existance in Mexico and a desperate exisitance in America, I'd make a run across the border as well. I truly can't blame them. Most of them know the drill. There was a group literally walking across the flightline at Huachuca (located smack dab on the border) and all it took was to Shane and Mike to yell "Hey!". They dropped to the ground and put their hands behind their back. Obviously, they'd done this before. Like I said, I can't blame them....heck I'd love to swap all of our welfare kings and queens (not people who get welfare...I'm talking about people who expect welfare to take care of them for their whole lives) for a bunch of the illegals because the illegals for the most part want to work and improve their lives...but they are also targets of exploitation as far of how they're paid and work conditions and that is wrong as well...

Then there are the issues of the pourous border. A friend who works for the Border Patrol said that it isn't the Mexicans who are an issue really, it's everyone else. I never realized it growing up but people from all countries stream in through AZ, CA, NM and Texas....From all of Latin and South American and China, Vietnam, Laos, India, Pakistan, Former Soviet block nations, all over....that truly makes it a National Security issue (it is a fact that some middle eastern border crossers were turned in by Mexican border crossers because they know they're screwed if a terrorist makes it across and blows something up)....but why should they get to jump the line over people who go about it the legal way and apply for residency and then citizenship. Fair is fair and if someone from Britain or Canada has to jump through all the hoops why shouldn't it be the same for people from everywhere else???I don't know.....I really am so torn....this jumps political idealologies for the most part.....I just want to know what other people think about this....