Thread: Feds to Revive Amnesty of 1986 for One Year

Feds revive amnesty of 1986

About 10,000 people wait in immigration limbo for 22 years

By Thelma Guerrero • Statesman Journal
November 18, 2008

The federal government plans to give legal status to certain unauthorized immigrants who applied for a 1986 amnesty program but were either unfairly excluded or never received a response to their request.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said the period to re-apply will be open for one year beginning Feb. 1. CIS is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration into the United States.

It's not known just how many unauthorized immigrants will qualify, but the number is thought to be about 10,000.

"It's a pretty narrow category," said Sharon Rummery, a CIS spokeswoman in the San Francisco regional office.

The reincarnated 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, or IRCA, is in connection with a class-action lawsuit settlement reached in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in September.

It was brought by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project on behalf of individuals who were unable to apply or who were deemed ineligible for legalization under IRCA because of issues on whether unlawful status was "known to the government," the lawsuit states.

The resurrected amnesty application process does not sit well with groups who adamantly oppose granting legal status to those who entered or are in the nation illegally.

"Why in the world would our federal government do that when 22 years later, it still doesn't have the ability to process applications filed in the 1986 amnesty program," said Jim Ludwick, the president of McMinnville-based Oregonians for Immigration Reform, which lobbies against illegal immigration.

"Our Social Security Administration is already overburdened. How would they deal with the possible millions who might apply?" he said. "And with Oregon's unemployment rate at 7 percent, it's sheer idiocy to encourage people to stay here when there are already so many people who are out of work."

But Francisco López, director of CAUSA, an immigrant-advocacy group in Woodburn, sees it differently.

"It's about time there was a resolution for the over 10,000 immigrants who were in immigration legal limbo because of the inefficiencies of the immigration office," he said. "Hopefully this will be the beginning not only for those who were not allowed to apply in 1986, but also any future legalizations for the millions that still have not be able to adjust their immigration status."

CAUSA and other immigrant groups across the nation will be pushing for a moratorium on immigration raids in the first 100 days of the Obama administration. Thousands are expect to turn out for a rally in front of Capitol Hill in January in support of the moratorium.

The latest settlement is the third in class-action lawsuits filed against the CIS, previously known as the office of Immigration and Naturalization Services. A settlement four years ago gave about 2,000 illegal immigrants legal status.

IRCA resulted in roughly 2.7 million undocumented immigrants becoming legal permanent residents in 1986. About 250,000 applications were rejected on the grounds that the applicants had temporarily left the U.S. during the designated grace period and had not lived here continuously.

But groups of undocumented immigrants filed suit, successfully challenging the disqualifications.

Among the requirements for re-applying is proof of having entered the country legally on a temporary visa before 1982 and then remaining illegally once the visa expired. Applicants also cannot have a criminal history and had to have applied between May 5, 1987, and May 4, 1988.

Those who were wrongly rejected and who meet the qualifications will have to pay $585 to reapply. Those who never applied but who may still qualify will have to fork out $1,130.

Fees will be waived for applicants who never were given a decision on their forms, though they'll still have to pay $340 for a work card if their cases are approved now.

Though legalization is not guaranteed, under the terms of the settlement the government cannot deport those who step up to apply — even if their applications are declined.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article ... 80324/1001

Who could have been wrongly rejected? From what I heard thousands submitted false documents and were accepted. I also heard they even accepted them if they submitted a utility bill Give me a break! The window is closed!

22 years later this failed amnesty is still being exploited.

This is BS!!!!!!!!!!!!

They broke the law to begin with let them come forward THEN DEPORT ALL OF THEM.

It's not known just how many unauthorized immigrants will qualify, but the number is thought to be about 10,000.

Just like the govt had no idea how many qualfied in 1986, which of course turned out to be a much higher number than expected.

This is lesson #1 as why we can never agree to another amnesty, "legalization" or whatever euphemism the OBL uses. It would never end. Let this be motivation.

Our government is looking for every conceivable way in which to give illegal invaders citizenship!!! Our government has absolutely no shame!

How in the hell can an someone be "unfairly excluded" when they were illegal invaders to begin with! SO WHAT if they were unfairly excluded in 1986 as 25 million more have "unfairly" entered this country since then!

And if a case is denied they will just appeal it endlessly so the truth is there's no way to get rid of these invaders. It's really just another attack on the rule of law.

t's not known just how many unauthorized immigrants will qualify, but the number is thought to be about 10,000.




Any bets on how many MILLIONS will apply.....including those not even born in 1986?

Just how freaking stupid is our government anyway?

I swear to God, they MUST be putting something in the water coolers in DC.......no one can be that damned brainless and has to be under the influence of something

They have to be smoking something.....what crap, just how are they going to announce this or find these people? oh I know they have stayed in the same place for 22 years