amnesty
n. a blanket abolition of an offense by the government, with the legal result that those charged or convicted have the charge or conviction wiped out. Examples: a) the amnesty given to Confederate officials and soldiers after the Civil War, or b) President Jimmy Carter's granting amnesty (under certain conditions) to those who violated the Selective Service Act in evading the draft during the Vietnam War. The basis for amnesty is generally because the war or other conditions that made the acts criminal no longer exist or have faded in importance. Amnesty is not a pardon as some believe, since a pardon implies forgiveness, and amnesty indicates a reason to overlook or forget the offenses.
I'm not sure how the term amnesty even got into this debate in the first place. Considering almost all proposals on the table have some sort of punishment, including everything the President has discussed, accusations of amnesty isn't the correct term. One side could technically accuse this of being a 'pardon' program as their crime is forgiven, but by legal definition, not amnesty.
The reason amnesty got into this debate is because so many freepers insist that is what the president's program is. They are mistaken, of course. BUt it doesn't stop them.
Now they are even re-writing history and saying that Reagan didn't sign a blanket amnesty bill.