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Practically, in that some of us personally don’t know a Trump supporter and our exposure is limited to the screaming rally crowds chanting “Build the wall!� Or emotionally, in that some of us do know someone who backs the president, but it’s Uncle Bob and you want to keep the peace because there’s just no talking to that man!

It’s very easy then, as the president does or says one outrageous thing after another, to conflate Trump with his followers. To be perfectly comfortable having “Trump supporter� be shorthand for someone who is racist or bigoted, to paint almost 63 million people as xenophobic enablers of moral turpitude.

I don’t have that excuse, though. Working in the Opinion section, especially with the letters to the editor, I am lucky to interact with people from across the political spectrum. Not only have I had very civil email conversations with readers I disagree with, I’ve also met and grown to like some of them. As anyone can tell you, it’s hard to demonize people who’ve made you laugh — or think.

So, when I wanted to write last week about the president declaring a national emergency yet found myself unable to move beyond the outrage — how can people not see there is no crisis on the border, that the president is a liar, that he is usurping Congress’ power, that he argh! — I decided my time would be better spent if I spoke with people who had voted for Trump and learn what they thought. Hopefully find some common ground.

Needless to say, I did not seek out anyone who does align with the president’s worst qualities. Instead, and through no skill on my end, I lucked out and spoke with reasonable people on the spectrum of supporters: Frank Engle “voted against Hillary,� Rosalie Wright “supports his policies,� and Ray Trombino “supports the president and his policies.�

Although their reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency was mixed, with Engle calling it a “slap in the face� to congressional compromise, all of them agree that building a wall on the southern border — where it makes sense — is necessary for security. They all faulted Congress for not giving the president the money he asked for, saying that $5.7 billion is nothing compared to an annual budget that’s in the trillions of dollars.

There is also frustration with both parties on how they’ve handled border security, although, as reported by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, we on immigration enforcement than we do on the combined budgets for the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“Republicans, Democrats, all run saying they support border security, but when they get in office they forget about it,� Trombino said.

Yet it was heartening that while they all believe some of what the president is saying, they stressed that the only way to fix the problem of illegal immigration is through reform. “I feel badly for people who are suffering down south, but the United States can’t be an open place for everybody who is unhappy in their country,� Wright said. “But I do wish it would be easier for people to get in who want to get in … that’s really a bottom line.�

All three support a functioning guest-worker program, bringing those who are in the country illegally out of the shadows and increasing border security, the three elements that have been kicking around 21st-century Washington since Sens. John McCain and Ted Kennedy introduced the “Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act� in 2005.

So what’s the holdup? Why, if even people who voted for Trump support reform, has the idea stopped being taken as a serious possibility in Congress?

Everyone believes immigration has become a tool for politicians, on both sides.

“There is so much division in Congress right now that it polarizes the people, and in polarizing the people it generates more campaign revenue — that’s better business,� Engle said. “It’s too much of a who’s-on-top between the Democrats and the Republicans,� Wright added.

When you think of how, over the years, Republicans and Democrats have had a hand in killing immigration reform, it’s easy to agree. On all of our most divisive issues — gun safety, climate change, immigration, health care — a majority of Americans are more open to compromise than the people who allegedly represent us. The hard part is, how do we break out of this?

The three Trump voters I spoke with want the parties to work together, to focus on the positive things that either side offers, but they are not optimistic it will happen anytime soon.

“The 2020 election will make any compromise impossible — we’re screwed for the next two years,� Trombino said.

Sometimes I hate agreeing with a Trump supporter.