Interesting. I wonder if you truly understand the capacity of the word assimilate. Assimilation is the process whereby a member of one ethnocultural group is 'absorbed' into another whereby many characteristics of the individual's former culture are erased to meet the expectations of the majority. The point I was trying to convey was that there is not one ethnic or cultural group which would primarily have the rightful designation of "American" unless of course you are talking about the Native Americans. Especially considering we are a nation of immigrants from around the world.

Something you perhaps do not understand is that "American" is a nationality and not a concept, ideology, or race (except in the context of Native Americans). There are concepts within our country that can be considered unique to America, but not to render "American" as an ideology itself. If you wish to assimilate people into an ideology, then that my friend is not uniquely American.

To be an American could also mean having U.S. citizenship and at the same time preaching against the U.S. Constitution. As such an individual's rights would be guaranteed (ironically, by the document the individual is criticizing). Likewise, to establish the obvious original owners and culture of this land that was nearly wiped out by the Anglo-Saxons would also be protected under the "American" system. So I was really attempting to point out the ridiculousness of your calls to "assimilation into American" which really can't be expressed in concrete and non-abstract terms. And I was also pointing out that there isn't any 'assimilation' (in the word's true capacity) needed to be done by the immigrants.


And sometimes consequences are beset upon a people who have little to no other choice in their actions. People are sometimes forced into the United States because of their extremely impoverished conditions and simply wish to seek a better life for their families; sometimes as a matter of life and death. Common sense would tell anyone in such a position that the potential consequences for crossing the border are much more favorable than poverty and starvation. Children of illegals born in the United States have no say over their position in the United States, and yet their parents could be taken away from them.

I thought family values and keeping the family in tact were supposed to be a virtue, not a vice. But I guess it's not immoral if it happens to a Mexican family.

I don't see how decent people attempting to provide food and clothing to their families is bad behavior. And crossing a border is barely as equally morally wrong or as reprehensible as stealing from a bank.

I wish it were that easy. I really do. However, people holding such a sentiment are not realistic at all. What exactly do you propose? The deportation of tens of millions of people? Are you aware that there hasn't been a relocation of a group of people so big as that in all of human history? The next closest thing would be Nazi Germany's holocaust. Such an undertaking would require manpower and resources of immeasurable proportions; things we simply do not have nor could ever muster.

And even if you do manage to be able to hunt down, control, and relocate the tens of millions of people, there is very little to stop them from simply going back across the border.

It simply isn't realistic.

And what difficult job would that be? Separating families? Or unconstitutionally abducting and relocating U.S. citizens without their or their parents' consent?

Well, no matter your delusions about U.S. citizenship and naturalization laws, or your own interpretations of the Constitution, current U.S. law says otherwise. Anyone born in the United States is automatically a U.S. citizen.

Arguments for illegal status and complete deportation and separation of families may be clever arguments, but I highly doubt they will achieve the ends you wish; nor do I think they are realistic.