It's not as simple as that. Most Americans are far from "wealthy." If we all lived like kings, I would see your point. However, parts of the U.S. are actually as destitute as some third world countries--something that presidents like to avoid while they're busy telling us that we're the greatest nation that ever existed.
I will agree, however, that a lot of this "illegal immigrant" rhetoric is actually misplaced. We're told that we're losing jobs to illegal immigrants, and while that is correct to a point, we're probably losing more jobs from globalization and layoffs from downsizing corporations. As such, don't blame Republicans, don't blame Bush, don't blame corporate America for being unemployed/underemployed. Blame "illegal immigrants."
The ever-so-prophetic episode of "The Simpsons," was right on the mark. The high cost of the "Bear Patrol" (or, as I put it, "The War on (Bear) Terror") was not blamed on government ineptitude/bloat, but, instead, illegal immigrants.
However, my other main beef about all this is, if America is supposed to open its floodgates to the rest of the world, I want to see the rest of the world open its floodgates to Americans. Loose immigration policy should be a two-way street.
Regardless, it's not our obligation to pick up the slack for inept, corrupt governments like Mexico. Maybe if illegal immigration wasn't an option, Mexicans would have risen up and overthrown their government decades ago. South America has certainly gone places over the last 2-3 decades that Mexico could only dream of.
Melon