Of course there's a difference. But imprisoning or even deporting 12 million illegals isn't going to happen. The resources and the will simply don't exist. Yet there are folks that continue to insist that we do so - and mean it in all seriousness. The "crazy liberal activist" can be easily dismissed as nuts. Those who think we can imprison/deport 12-plus million illegals aren't as mendacious, but they're just as delusional.
I'm
not convinced that deporting all illegal immigrants under some protocol. whether fast or slow, is
necessary for the survival of our Constitutional Republic. Unfortunately, I'm also
not convinced that it's
not necessary for the survival of our Constitutional Republic.
We regard to that second confession, I am definitely saying that we might be in bigger jeopardy from illegals than we want to believe. And I would respond to your comment by saying that "practicality" (e.g. costliness) has nothing whatsoever to do with a desperate need to take effectual steps to block an existential threat. The problem is that "practicality" does color what we want to believe and could very well seduce us into
not even noticing the existential threat until it's too late.
Please think on my wavelength here. I'm not one of those guys who has made up his mind. My mind is still open to discussions of bad scenarios associated with leaving illegals in place. And as you have surely noticed by now, I am especially concerned about the worst-case scenario of the complete and final ruin of our Republic by leaving the illegals in place. Most folks don't want to talk about the worst-case scenario. But I think we should do so. I believe it is a realistic scenario.
Since I have unabashedly jumped our discussion to that of an existential threat to America, the standard retort centering on the "impracticality" (e.g., truly enormous costs) of deporting all illegals is interesting but still completely out of bounds. So please don't resort to scoffing about seemingly prohibitive costs, my friend. America must be prepared to spend whatever blood and treasure is determined or even strongly believed to be necessary to preserve our Republic.
Right now, I am stopping short of concluding that deporting all the illegals is necessary or even advisable. But I am sober enough to realize that leaving all the illegals in place poses a pretty serious long-term risk to U.S. sovereignty. And it would appear that you don't see this. Heck, you laugh about the scenario.