I don't know where either of you are from, or live presently. This has become, over the last few years a matter of concern across the length, and breadth of the entire country. The "problem with illegals" has been an ongoing thing here, throughout the history of the state of Texas. Nothing new here. Our culture here is one as much Spanish in origin as it is all the others combined, thus "Tex-Mex" food. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, 7 miles north of Mexico. I know something of the impact of Latino culture, (not a bad thing), and the burden of illegals. (a very bad thing).

About the work ethic. Illegal Aliens, especially the traditional Mexican Peasants are very hardworking people, they have strong family values, in general, are industrious and given the chance would be an ultimate value to our Society. I have seen, and known Mexican Nationals who lived 15 to a home, splitting the rent, and utilities, and sending 3/4 of their earnings back home to Mexico. In their villages, they are heroes, and sometimes the only source of funding at all. I have known Illegal Mexicans who married US Citizens, had children, then got caught and deported. I understand, and sympathize with these people who are just trying to make a better living for themselves and their families, and a better future for their children.

I also know a man, a lawyer in Mexico City, and one of the National Politicians there, who has a big ranch down in Mexico, with several villages of Peasants living on it, and dependent on him for their livelihoods. He is called a Patrón. It's a feudal system of patronage, wherreby he is responsible for the well-being of his peasants, and they are completely at his mercy.
This man co-owns a paving company here in Texas. His son, also a lawyer in Mexico, lives here legally and runs the business for him. He requires the male peasants, between 16 and 45 to find their own way here, and work this business for him. Otherwise their families get thrown out of the village, and off the Hacienda. They are basically slaves. There is nothing the US government, or the state of Texas can do about it, by law, because what he's doing is NOT illegal in Mexico. The only recourse we have to alleviate the situation in this case is to catch and deport the workers.

You talk about what we can do. Should we build a fence? Absolutely. If someone wants to cross the border, then it needs to be done legally, that way we can guarantee that he or she is able to use the law of the land to his or her benefit. Should we regulate who gets into our country? That's a no-brainer. If we won't or can't regulate entry then all the ill-meaning people out there will have unlimited access to our interior, and that folks, is where you and I live. Should they have to learn English? Yes, that would help break the barriers of the feudal system to which they remain subject. Our concepts of law and order, of fairness in th emarket, and our very constitution are written in English, and sometimes ideas don't translate well, not to mention the fact that allowing them to remain isolated by language, insulates them from American Society at-large, making them easier prey.

You shouldn't close your eyes or your mind to the actual solutions that are needed. They may not be popular, they may not sound like what we'd like our society to be all about, but the main goal we should have here, is protecting our society. Then we can concentrate our intelligence, our imaginations, and our hard work to alleviating the problems extant on the other side of the border.

I've heard, and read here, the argument that Americans wouldn't want to work the jobs they do. That is, for the most part, correct as long as you finish the sentence. The complete sentence is: Americans wouldn't want to work the jobs they do, for the money they're getting paid. Folks, these people that work the jobs you're talking about get minimum wage if they're lucky. A lot of them are day-laborers, who negotiate their pay by-the-day.
Most of these are peasants, with no idea what the job is worth up here. They are being taken advantage of by our system. they have no recourse to the labor board, no insurance, no workers comp. No OSHA, no help from any quarter. As long as illegals are allowed, so will slavery be.

These people are human beings, with as much worth in their work as anyone else. So why are they cheaper? Because they have no voice. You want to give them a voice, you say? Great! They deserve it! Legalize all the ones who are working, give them all the same rights everyone else has, and teach them about it! Send the illegal moochers, and users, back to wherever they come from, and close off the border, except the already established controlled-entry points, and put a stop to illegal entry into this country!

Capitalism does NOT favor big-business. Capitalism favors free-trade, and the cheapest prices. Competition gurantees cheaper prices. Government involvement guarantees higher prices, and lower quality. Our government interference is what has promoted big-business. If we had free-trade, on a large scale, they wouldn't have sales tax on a large scale. They can't have a society untaxed.