Senate bill would be the eighth amnesty for illegals in 21 years

Saint Louis Post Dispatch ^ | 05/29/2007 | Steve Reiss

[Leisler]

The current proposed bill once again gives illegal immigrants the opportunity to bypass regular channels and stay in this country despite breaking the rules. Both Democrats and Republicans alike have called this amnesty. And amnesty has NOT worked in the past. It only entices a GREATER number of illegal immigrants. That’s what happened after the LAST amnesty, according to INS estimates released in 2000. This will be the EIGHTH amnesty granted by this country since 1986. Why don’t you report that fact? I’ll even do your homework for you:

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) Amnesty, 1986: A blanket amnesty for 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

4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for nearly one million illegal aliens from Central America

5. Haitian Refugee Immigration

[Jeffrey_D.]

They don’t care what we think...........or want.

:-(((

[TomGuy]

Immigration Bills since 1965

1965 Immigration and Nationality Act:

• Eliminated country-specific quotas
• Broad numerical limits were nearly doubled from 154,000 to 290,000
• Changed Eastern Hemispheric annual quotas to 170,000 (20,000 per country)
• Created a first time annual cap of 120,000 for the Western Hemisphere
• Special preference rules making immediate family members exempt from numerical quotas, however, caused the 290,000 official ceiling to be shattered.
• Coupled with European economic prosperity in mid 1960s, European immigrants to the US dropped to less than 20%. Latin America and Asia become the leading sources of immigrants.

Refugee Act of 1980

• U.S. broadens definition of allowable refugees
• 125,000 refugees allowed annually
• From 1981-1986, more than 450,000 refugees and asylum seekers

1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)

• Legalized 2.7 million unauthorized aliens (about 1.6 million illegal residents who entered prior to 1982, and 1.1 million illegal agricultural laborers who had worked in the U.S. for at least 6 months)
• Sought to curb illegal immigration by establishing penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens

1990 Immigration Act

• Raised the annual ceiling from 270,000 to 700,000 for 1992-94 and 675,000 afterwards (including 480,000 family-sponsored, 140,000 employment-based, and 55,000 "diversity" immigrants)
• Allows an unlimited number of visas for immediate relatives –children, parents and spouses – of US citizens, not counted under the cap
• The 125,000 allowable refugees are also not counted under the cap
• Almost nine (9) million immigrants came to the U.S. in the 1990s

1996 Immigration Reform Law

• Addressed concerns about illegal immigration through a variety of law enforcement measures, including increased border control personnel, equipment and technology.
• Doubled, for example, the number of border patrol agents from 5,175 in 1996 to almost 10,000 by 2000.
• Confronted concerns about illegal immigrants access to government benefits by making undocumented immigrants ineligible for Social Security benefits
• Illegal immigrants still currently enter the U.S. at an estimated rate of 300,000 per year. Seven million illegal immigrants are currently estimated to be living in the U.S.

1996 Welfare Reform Law

• Barred legal immigrants entering the U.S. after 1996 from most federal means- tested programs (food stamps, CHIP, Medicaid, etc) for 5 years
• Raised the income and legal standards for U.S. residents who sponsor immigrants
• Barred illegal immigrants eligibility from most federal, state and local public assistance

2000 H-1B Visa Legislation

• Increased the number of temporary immigration visas for high-technology workers from 65,000 in 1990 to 115,000 for fiscal years 1999-2000 to 195,000 for fiscal years 2001-2003. In fiscal year 2004 the number was returned to 65,000.

Source:  wikispaces.com: immigration bills history>

[goldstategop]

I wish they would just abolish DHS, tear down the border fence and hang out a welcome shingle. Just drop the hyprocrisy and get rid of a costly do-nothing federal bureaucracy.

Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[kinoxi]

I heard a few minutes of Rush today and he was referring to some of the programs that already exist. Seems that there are enough legal avenues (fashion model visas for instance) already. Those that don’t utilize them are simply criminal in nature.

[Leisler]

Build a wall around Washington and keep throwing reams of copy paper over it. Let them do what they want.

[Bigun]

Senate bill would be the eighth amnesty for illegals in 21 years

We'll get it right this time! Just give us one more chance! Why shouldn't we get eight strikes before we are called out? < sarcasm >

[WorkingClassFilth]

Oh no! You must be mistaken. They said that the last amnesty measure was a “one time deal” and would never be offered again. Surely you are mistaken with your facts...

[These arrogant b@st@ards have left the reservation for good - g’bye you worthless traitors!]

[spyone]

I’ll throw the lighted match in.

[Chode]

i saw a full blooded Peruvian Indian and a mexkin in Wally's today... working on a dairy farm up in the hills.

[lonestar67]

Move along Freepers nothing to see here

Bush is the only President who has ever signed an immigration bill. All hatred should be directed at him.

Move along Move along to other threads on illegal immigration

[Diogenesis]

"We have Chappaquidicked America. Cool."

[harpo11]

It’s Cramnesty! PThe President is cramming this down our throats ala Clinton.

[Sergio]

Save for later reading.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

I just wanted to thank Senator Ted Kennedy for starting this “mess” way back in 1965! Thanks a lot Ted! It “fries my nose” knowing that a majority of Massachusetts voters keeps re-electing this harmful clown over and over again along with all of the other moonbat D’s at every political level throughout Massachusetts! Some people will never learn.

[ChessExpert]

Thanks for the info.

[unspun]

They don’t care what we think...........or want.

They had better do just what we want, this time.

If not, this time there will be some realgnment going on -- against them -- against them, whether D or R.