Conservatives seem to me more versatile than a lot of the leftist spokespeople. I find many who have no trouble at all being able to be both “pro-immigrant” and “anti-illegal immigrant” at the same time. What a concept!
So many leftists cannot distinguish the two stances. For them you are either “pro” or anti”. Thus they continually are baffled, confused, and angered when conservatives say they are anti-illegal immigrant, because they can only hear “anti.” Since they only have two cubby holes in their mind of “pro” and “anti”, they can only think that a person who is pro-immigrant but anti-illegal immigrant is anti-immigrant.
Then they make an unfortunately rush to judgment from their faulty conclusion.