[livius]

The reason for the 1986 amnesty in the first place was that the illegal immigration situation had gotten out of hand.

We need rational immigration laws, but nobody has dared to touch this matter until now. We can't just go on giving amnesties when the problem gets too severe. We have got to create a new way of dealing with the situation, and I think this is what Bush is trying to do.

Remember, we used to have a guest worker program several decades ago, for agricultural labor, if I recall correctly. This is not a new concept.

[PuNcH]

The reason for the 1986 amnesty in the first place was that the illegal immigration situation had gotten out of hand.

That is absolutely false. We had an estimated 300k illegals and the amnesty was meant as a charitable gesture in return for greater enforcement. Those who argued against the amnesty were laughed at as racist paranoids when they predicted that it would bring in millions of more illegals. We got the amnesty but we didnt get the enforcement.

We need rational immigration laws, but nobody has dared to touch this matter until now.

We have rational immigration laws we just need to enforce them instead of handing out amnesties to the law breakers.

Remember, we used to have a guest worker program several decades ago, for agricultural labor, if I recall correctly. This is not a new concept.

Yah and the very people that you think you're being charitable towards are going to argue that you are a racist taking advantage of them just as they have done before. If they can show any second class status at all you lose.