Vice President Joe Biden recently exposed the breadth of the immigration issue; dispelling the notions undocumented immigration is simply a Mexican/Hispanic issue; that all American citizens are descendants of legal immigrants; that undocumented populations are here to rashly absorb resources. While discussing immigration, an individual mentioned that their family legally emigrated from Ireland in the 19th century, and Biden countered, explaining that his family did not. 

Mexicans make up 57 percent of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. today, and 24 percent hail from other Latin American countries. 9 percent of undocumented immigrants are from Asia, 6 percent are from Europe and Canada, and 4 percent come from the remainder of the world. The estimated number of undocumented refugees in America is at 20 million or greater, with an annual growth of 1.5 million to 3 million (enough to fill 22,000 Boeing 737-700 airliners, or 60 flights every day for a year). 

While Latinos are the largest faction of the undocumented immigrants, their individual stories of wanting to escape dire circumstances, in order to fundamentally improve their lives, align them with every other citizen-hopeful.

"My great-great grandparents came escaping the famine and they didn't all come here legally," Biden said, according to Politico. "They didn't all come legally. And the existence of the system isn't all truncated like it is now. I'd check your ancestry to make sure that they did come legally if that's a concern to you."

Biden is not the only American politician who showcases their immigrant roots. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has advertised his Irish potato famine roots, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has described himself as a "second-generation American," the admission made in support of drawing undocumented children out of the shadows.

Border enforcement, spending and deportation are at a record high; Biden communicated that there is huge difference between the immigration system of today and that of the 1800s. He appeared with White House Domestic Policy Chief Cecilia Muñoz, and together they called on House Speaker John Boehner to permit a vote on the immigration reform bill the Senate passed in June, making it more comprehensive. Biden indicated that Boehner was too concerned with conservative ballyhoo to make time for passing immigration bills, and he was unwilling to let the house speak.

Biden's statement was a side-step from President Barack Obama's statement, which said that he would be fine with the House choosing to pass a series of fragmented immigration bills.