Just a refresher on the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli immigration (amnesty) bill excerpted from Newt Gingrich's new book Real Change.

The failure of this bill is why we cannot agree to any form of amnesty:

The Simpson-Mazzoli bill contained three promises:

1) The government would make a concerted effort to control the borders.

2) An effective employer verification program would ensure that only legal workers were hired.

3) One-time amnesty would be granted for people illegally in the United States.

All three promises were broken. The government has made no serious effort to control our borders. It has made no serious effort to develop and implement an effective employer verification program. There are millions more in our country illegally today (an estimated twelve to twenty million) than there were in 1986.