“I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally,” Ronald Reagan 1984
Reagan put this into practice in 1986. WTF, the precedent was set, excuses do not matter. Same thing with the NSA abuse, OSHA, EPA, etc... all created by Republican Statist.
Reagan also said that signing that amnesty bill was the biggest mistake of his presidency.
The man had the capacity to learn from his mistakes, and adjust his course according to reality on the ground. He left the Democrat party, didn’t he?