Why so much conservative hostility towards undocumented immigrants?

[Truthfrees]

For the record, not every conservative is hostile towards undocumented immigrants. When John McCain ran for president in 2008, he advocated a pathway to citizenship for these people. Lindsay Graham, Jeb Bush, and other compassionate conservatives likewise support an amnesty. In fact, I’m a conservative who also feels sympathy towards the undocumented community and wants to see the government help make the good law-abiding ones become citizens.

However, Donald Trump basically became president by scapegoating people in this country illegally. When he said he would build a wall along the US-Mexico border, his support went through the roof and secured his nomination. The fact that he accumulated so much support from Republican-voters testifies to the hostility that so many conservatives feel towards undocumented immigrants. To me, this is a very sad thing.

The Bible says this in Leviticus 19:34: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Obviously those foreigners residing in ancient Israel didn’t have visas or passports. They were undocumented immigrants for all practical purposes. And God is telling his chosen people to treat them as native-born residents. This means God wants us to treat undocumented immigrants in the US with compassion.

Of course I’m aware of drug traffickers, sex traffickers, and violent criminals who come here illegally. By all means deport them. But what about the ones who study hard, abide by all the laws and don’t commit crime, and live like normal people? They’ve been here much of their lives and should be given a pathway to citizenship.

As a Republican and compassionate conservative, I don’t think I’ll ever understand what motivates so many other conservatives to feel so much hostility towards people just because they’re different. Yes, they came into this country illegally, but hasn’t everyone done something illegal in their life at one time? Give them a chance.

Our GOP is besmirched with xenophobia and needs to clean up.

it's probably the crimes committed by some illegal aliens that make people in favor of only legal aliens.

i'm in favor of people entering the country legally and obeying the laws.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

I've not heard this story before.

But, I must say, the first scenario is more akin to the plight of Mexican migrant workers crossing the border merely for the purpose of feeding and supporting their families.

There's no famine in Mexico. In fact, just a few years ago they overtook us as the country with the world's highest obesity rate. In fact, Mexico isn't particularly poor. The Mexican immigrants have no "plight". They want to take advantage of their wealthier neighbors to the north, that's all.

 

[Liza B.]

I've not heard this story before.

But, I must say, the first scenario is more akin to the plight of Mexican migrant workers crossing the border merely for the purpose of feeding and supporting their families.

They're not arriving with weapons and taking food/jobs from Americans. The jobs they perform are, typically, those that Americans are not wanting to do ...

The second scenario is more akin to what happened to the Native Americans ...

No. The second scenario is our gov't taking our resources away without our permission.

 

[A_Thinker]

No. The second scenario is our gov't taking our resources away without our permission.

Jesus commanded us to "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" ... as He set the example of paying the required tax to a government oppressive to His own people ...

Luke 20

20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

25 And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

 

[SolomonVII]

it's probably the crimes committed by some illegal aliens that make people in favor of only legal aliens.

i'm in favor of people entering the country legally and obeying the laws.

Me too.
I don't think that expecting everybody to be playing from the same rule book is either than radical, or that hostile.