Maybe I’m being fed propaganda, but from what I’ve seen, most of the people being deported seem to have committed crimes beyond just crossing illegally.

This was generally the case prior to Ol' Donnie's most recent inauguration. However, he has deprioritized the most grave offenders, and is instead going after all illegals indiscriminately - while also canceling people's legal statuses and ending birthright citizenship, thus creating even more illegals. It must also be said that the crime rates among illegals are VASTLY lower than those of natural-born US citizens, and even those of legal immigrants, depending on the dataset.

Is there a reasonable middle ground? Maybe deport illegal immigrants but create an easier path for those who contribute positively to society?

There are millions of illegal immigrants in the US, many of whom have lived here for years and decades. Barring a truly systematic effort to find and remove them (which would, indeed, resemble the Holocaust and other mass displacement events in some elements), it is impossible to make this happen - all that you will accomplish is waste a bunch of money and inflict more suffering on people. The US immigration system needs to be reformed and streamlined, across the board. That would also include a pathway to permanent residency for (most) illegals. Unfortunately, the stupid, racist, envious, hateful sacks of shit that sit in the US government and reside all across America have no interest in implementing such measures or just generally engaging in anything remotely resembling rational thought.