Hundreds of people camped outside the INS office each night to try to gain entrance the next day. The INS District Director apparently felt so besieged that he officially closed the doors on March 28 to any in-person filings. A sudden increase in the number of immigrants marrying U.S. citizens also strained marriage license bureaus around the country just before April 1. There is a small kernel of truth to immigrants' fears. Last fall Congress passed one of the most far-reaching immigration laws of this century.
Some provisions increase criminal penalties for abusing the immigration system.
Others make it easier to remove aliens who have committed crimes. Still others close or restrict the avenues of relief that used to temper the harshness of deportation. Several sections of the new law dramatically change the picture for undocumented aliens. An alien unlawfully present for one year or more is inadmissible for 10 years. The Unlawfully Present Requirement Three requirements must be met before the three or 10 year bar can apply.