Just the fact that most people in most places immediate reaction this kind of idea is "handouts" is proof of a problem. We don't have that kind of reaction to p

Just the fact that most people in most places immediate reaction this kind of idea is "handouts" is proof of a problem. We don't have that kind of reaction to people "expecting handouts" who aren't immigrants. Immigrants as a whole are usually members of lower middle classes. Not huge tax contributors, but not a welfare dependent group either. The biggest welfare dependent groups within most countries are entrenched subcultures that have built up the habit over 2 or more generations. There is no reason to assume on the whole that immigrants are an economic drain. The huge gap between people's instinctive reaction and reality, is IMO xenophobia. Anyway, I think economics might be part of the practicalities, but shouldn't be the heart of the discussion. This is a fundamental moral issue, not an economic one.