immigration

We've had several long and somewhat heated discussions about immigration lately. I think the entire issue is very hard. I have nothing but compassion for all of those who are inbetween homelands, illegally or not. At the same time it's hard to see people fleeing countries for economic reasons, without the situation in those countries being made a topic of conversation. If I were a country I'd be sad to see my people leave, and I would want to do something about that. That doesn't really seem to be happening. At the same time I am beyond tired of hearing about the American Dream. Americans seem to think foreigners naturally flock here for that reason. Some even say that every person in the world has the right to the American dream. To me that is ethnocentric.

I guess I just naively want people to have the right to make choices for themselves without being pressured by the global economy, or limited by immigration quotas. Nothing of this adds up of course. And I managed to say nothing.