Ask HN: How do I successfully illegally immigrate to the U.S. from England?

I am a white, British male. I don't have much of an accent, nothing I can't mask or learn to get rid of. I am supposedly taking a year off before University. Except I've known for a while I'm not going back.

I want to leave. I want go emigrate to the United States -- more specifically California. I have no desirable skills or qualifications, so the U.S. doesn't want me. I've been programming for a couple of years and wish to persue that.

There is no way I am going to get any form of a permenant visa.

So I've been thinking about just buying a plane ticket from Birmingham Airport to SFO, packing very little, acting all touristy and then staying with a friend for a while until I figure out what to do. Except when my tourist visa expires, I don't leave. I figure what's the worse that could happen? I get a free plane ride back?

There are all these stories I've heard about people turning up in the U.S., thinking nothing of it, and stay there forever. And because they're white and from a first world country, no one cares.

So do you have any suggestions? I know it's a stupid idea.