Misinformation abounds, local immigration lawyers say, and not all illegal immigrants are eligible. Mendoza estimated that 25 percent to 30 percent of the people who sought her help are eligible. The law does not provide any protected status for illegal immigrants in the United States. It is not an amnesty. It does not grant work authorization, and deportation is still possible while a residency application is pending.
Illegal immigrants can face deportation when arrested.
The United States offered most illegal immigrants a general amnesty through the Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986. Many eventually became citizens. Nevertheless, the INS in 1997 estimated the national population of illegal immigrants at 5 million. A 1997 INS estimate put the number of illegal immigrants in Virginia at 55,000. He and his wife would like to visit Mexico, where both have relatives, but he fears crossing the border.