While I think we can agree the problem have been over-politicized, let's not forget it's still a problem. No one has a right to enter any nation illegally. Ever.It may be a narrow point, but one we can agree on. The anti-immigrant lobby likes to harp on the "illegal" part of immigration, but Improper Entry is a civil misdemeanor NOT a criminal felony. We can only use the immigration laws to regulate people coming in and doing business. The citizenship end is different.
Anti-immigrants have this fantasy that they can deport all the undocumented foreigners and once they're out, the anti-immigrants fantasize about using their muscle to keep them out (despite the promise of politicians saying they will allow them to come back.)
Why bother deporting them if you're going to allow them to stay? Why not create a Guest Worker Program with no automatic path to citizenship, charge them a civil penalty, pay back taxes where appropriate and get on with their lives? It would be cheaper and we might even make money on the deal.
The problem is more complex than claiming to deport 11 million people.
I strongly believe it's easier to arrest a few employers and apartment landlords than it is to not only round up and deport 11 million people, but also keep them out. Building a wall in both expensive is stupid as General George S. Patton noted:
Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man