There are provisions for work permits in the law. That is “legal status” without the benefits of being a citizen.
Then no welfare, no free healthcare, no public education, no S.S., no voting rights and immediate deportation for any criminal act. Here to work only, then go home within x days.
A work permit lasts six years. As part of that program, guess what happens after six years. People under that program are allowed to apply for citizenship.
Since when is it the law we give a work permit to all illegal immigrants.
We have traditionally only given them to seasonal workers when we needed them on farms to help harvest crops.
This is not the law.