Are we looking at immigration the wrong way?

Russ Roberts asks in his blog today if we are being distracted by an unimportant argument in the immigration debate, which is that that, no matter what, illegal immigrants are here illegally. He cites a Boston Globe article that makes the case that "Illegal immigrants don't steal across the Mexican border because they lack the patience to wait their turn in line. They do it because there is no line for them to wait in."

That's not entirely true, but it certainly isn't a smooth, efficient line in which to wait. Russ Roberts expands on the point with a practical example:

For me, an illegal immigrant who comes here to work is like a father speeding to the hospital to get his son medical care. When he arrives, the hospital could say: I'm sorry, I wish we could take care of your kid, but you broke the law on the way over here. You were speeding.

In other words, some actions deemed as "illegal" don't always have nefarious ends in mind. Certainly Real People that come illegally because they want to support their family - and are unable to do so in their home country due to weak and unstable governments and economies - are making a rational choice that needs to be weighed on its merit, not dismissed outright. Rule of law is important...but does it have its limits?

The immigration debate is difficult because it so often greeted with knee-jerk responses. Articles and posts like those referenced above, despite whether you agree with it or not, remind us that this is a much more nuanced debate that many would like to believe.