They are productive members of our communities, enrich our culture, and are part of our hope for the future. Our country needs to build a human community in which people do not live in fear, or suffer from discrimination. Using immigration policy to keep millions of people vulnerable and illegal undermines respect for the law. Our laws should protect the human rights of migrants, not undermine them. Following the 1986 amnesty, which legalized over 3 million people, immigrants continued coming.
Critics say the amnesty resulted in greater immigration of undocumented people.
But immigration was taking place long before amnesty, and exists in other countries with no such programs. Rather than repeating this experience endlessly, new ways of looking at amnesty should be considered. The number of residence visas should be expanded. Those wanting to work in the U.S. and maintain permanent residence in their countries of origin should be allowed to do so. Employers facing a tight job market are also making proposals for amnesty.