An important point about illegal immigration

I've occasionally noticed a disturbing tendency by writers to conflate the terms "illegal alien" and "Hispanic" as though they were more or less synonymous. They are not.

A large minority of the illegal aliens in the US are not Hispanic. In fact, many of them come from European countries.

A large majority of the Hispanic people in the US are not illegal aliens -- they are either American citizens or legal residents.

An American is an American, period. An American citizen of Hispanic ancestry is just as American as anyone whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower.

An illegal alien is an illegal alien, period. The enforcement of immigration laws should be carried out against all illegal aliens equally, irrespective of race or national origin.

I think pretty much all enforcement advocates understand these points. However, it is important to emphasize them explicitly and often, so as to make it clear that we want nothing to do with the racist fringe of society.