There is for sure a lot of racism in this debate.
I do think that you have two very different things at play. Fundamentally, I do not think that the extension or withholding of rights to other citizens based on race or immutable characteristics is an issue that should be up to a vote.
I do think that a nation’s immigration policy— who, how, how many, what means, what benefits— is rightfully a topic for democratic debate and processes. And on those lines, a few propositions almost anyone can agree on:
1. Our current immigration regime has not been democratically tackled for close to 50 years even as the fundamentals— who, how many, what means— of immigration to the country have changed tremendously.
2. America has the highest proportion of foreign born residents since the turn of the century. Rapid demographic change driven by migration causes anxieties, debates, and reactions across time and space in every society that is confronted with them. Americans are not uniquely good or bad in this respect.
3. American voters consistently show contradictory and complicated views on immigration (illegal or otherwise) and that has created an incentive for elected officials to duck open debate and passage of legislation to avoid confronting tough choices and inevitably taking sides in a debate that will leave lots of people unhappy.
4. Legislation that responds to current facts has been substituted with technocratic implementation by the executive in ways that undermine democratic credibility: namely, the same codified laws are implemented to dramatically different ends and effect depending on the executive. That corrodes public confidence in the idea that the legal underpinnings are sound.
I don’t see the underlying issue as unique to immigration. Elected reps have punted big questions time and time again in favor of letting the executive decide by administrative practice and interpretation. All this is kind of coming to a head all at once and Congress has been mostly content to continue to duck responsibility when they fear the resolution will upset voters.