June 26, 2009

1986 Amnesty Increased Illegal Immigration - so would any amnesty-again in the 21st century

Posted by D.A. King at 12:21 pm

2000 INS Report:
1986 Amnesty Increased Illegal Immigration

WASHINGTON (Oct. 12, 2000) — The report on America’s illegal immigration crisis by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), released today on Capitol Hill, highlights the profound unintended consequences of illegal-alien amnesties, just as Congress is considering another such amnesty. The report also makes clear, contrary to the conventional wisdom, that legal and illegal immigration are so intimately connected as to be two sides of the same coin. (Download the report at http://wwwa.house.gov/lamarsmith/INSreport.pdf.)
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The report represents a genuine effort by the INS to examine this complex problem. The new estimates are the best to date and provide valuable new information for policymakers and the public. Among the findings, and their implications:

Amnesties clearly do not solve the problem of illegal immigration. About 2.7 million people received lawful permanent residence (â€