Perhaps we could make more progress, at least in the western states, by positioning our point of view as a water rights issue?

Already many parts of the country are under a more or less continuous drought condition as supplies of both surface and ground water are depleted.

Adding to the population, regardless of the source, is going to make things worse.

This moves the discussion away from anything that could be called "bigotry" or "xenophobia" and towards something which is scientific, quantifiable, and affecting millions of people daily.