I personally admire the law of United States because this law always protected the rights of human being, irrespective their religion.
Interesting - the White House under Obama has this fantastic record at breaking and disregarding the law, but you would like to hold that they are the ones to interpret the law?
But why is it even the "wrong message?"
It is the responsibility of the immigrant to prove that they meet the immigration criteria, not the responsibility of the USA to prove that they do not.
And there have always been restrictions on immigration. Various groups and nationalities have always been assigned quotas.