Could you become an 'illegal immigrant'?
If roles were reversed, and I lived in a "country" where economic and individual liberty had been almost completely destroyed by thugs (both governmental and governmentally-enabled), either with the approval of the "voters" or by rigging the results of elections to give the appearance of voter approval, and there were a nearby "country" where life had the potential to be a little better, would I make a run for the border? You bet I would. What if I didn't have the permission of either country's government to migrate? That wouldn't even be a consideration.
If I did manage to escape to a better life, would I immediately turn my back on the culture I had grown up with? Not a chance. There is nothing wrong with "my culture", there is a problem with the controlling and oppressive government that made me want to escape. While I would attempt to learn the "native language" enough to at least be able to function, I would naturally seek out fellow migrants who spoke the language I was familiar with. People seek out those they can relate to, and who treat them nicely. I don't blame anyone else for doing the same thing I would do in their shoes.
Being the person I am, with the principles I possess, I would not collect welfare, even if it were offered in the new "country". Yet, if I had been raised in a "country" where "wealth redistribution"- theft- was the norm, I might not understand the wrongness of what I was doing. And if there were "natives" all around me living off the stolen property of their fellow "citizens" the message about right and wrong would undoubtedly get even more muddled.
Being me, I would not initiate force or fraud on the "natives", even while I watched them attack and rob one another. I would not be to blame for any of the other migrants who committed acts of this type, no matter whether their skin-tone and preferred language were the same as mine or not. I would retain the right to defend myself from immigrant-bashing violence, even knowing it would make me more unpopular to do so.
Do you believe this scenario could never happen? The reality is that with the course the US government seems determined to stay on, roles might really end up reversed for you and me. Sooner than we might imagine. Remember the Golden Rule, and it's more specific cousin: The Zero Aggression Principle. That is the only way to a civilized life.
