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> Why should another immigrant get the same benefits as him faster than he could by paying even less in taxes?

Because it's not a zero-sum game.

One person's right to citizenship does not erode another person's right to citizenship.

"...with a minimum of $50K over ten years, in taxes to the US government, and they have not committed any crime, they should be given citizenship..."

In this hypothetical scenario would your brother not have paid $50k and been granted citizenship much sooner than the other?

> penalizes legal residents waiting for their citizenship

How does another person receiving a benefit penalize your brother?

By the same logic, we should all insist on vicious assaults on new military recruits, because that's how it was done years ago.

As a society we should seek to improve the way we treat people, maximizing practical utility (tax-paying illegal immigrants are benefiting society) and seeking fairness. Chasing fairness as a primary goal is a fruitless endeavor.

I think it's awful for both your brother and society that he was required to wait so long to get his citizenship. Should we repeat the same mistakes out of a misguided attempt at fairness?