His view on situations like this are enlightening.
He knows the difference between true dictatorships and political wranglings in the news. No system is perfect, and bad things happen to good people every day.
In this circumstance, it looks like this person didn't follow all the appropriate rules related to the entering the US. (visa issues)
My Chinese friend does not understand why people try to break the rules, get caught, and cry foul. Your treatment in his home country would be considerably worse. He is following all the laws to get US citizenship. Should his due diligence be considered a waste of time?
I also had a relative that overstayed her visa in a foreign country and was constantly afraid of being deported. Why should the expectations of foreigners in US be different from every other country in the world?