i think if immigration is made a sufficiently easy and fair process, more strictly enforcing illegal immigration laws would be much less controversial
enforcing immigration laws is only controversial because the media turns it into a moral issue instead of a purely legal one.
Yeah the current system is stuff and played a big part, but it's mostly Too late now, it's like bringing in the water pumps after the boat is already full of seawater. It won't really do much good to try to waste time and money deporting random people. But they should not get amnesty.
It's stupid that there's even a debate about deportation of criminals.