The surprising history of amnesty in the U.S.

From BobbyT7:

Proponents of another new amnesty for illegal aliens fail to acknowledge the history and net effect of previous amnesties. Many Americans believe that there has been only one prior amnesty, the Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. In fact, including IRCA, there have been seven amnesties since that time, using the misnomers of 'reform' or 'adjustments'. These additional amnesties have had the ultimate effect of naturalizing millions of individuals who knowingly entered the United States illegally.

Since IRCA was enacted, some 5.7 million more people have been granted amnesty and the opportunity to become citizens. But now there are at least four or five times that many people illegally in the United States. Through all these amnesties, many more foreign nationals were amnestied than had been estimated. IRCA was expected to cover some 1 million illegal aliens.

The seven amnesties that have been passed by Congress:

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA), 1986.
A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens

2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994.
A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens

3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997.
An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994

Note: The numbers for section 245(i) are not broken out for 1994 and 1997

4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997.
An amnesty for close to 1 million illegal aliens from Central America

5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998.
An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti

6. Late Amnesty, 2000.
An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens

7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000.
A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens

When IRCA was passed by Congress, it was with the strict understanding that it would be a one-time-only forgiveness followed by strict border and active workplace enforcement. The list of amnesties post-IRCA shows that rather than leading to a tightening of immigration policy and enforcement, IRCA became a powerful lure for more illegal entry. Since IRCA led to an amnesty for three times as many people as were estimated beforehand, the U.S. might now be looking at offering naturalization to some 30 million people.

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