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Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act Denies Most Forms of Public Assistance to Most Legal Immigrants
On August 22, President Clinton signed into law 'The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, a comprehensive bipartisan welfare reform plan that will dramatically change the nation's welfare system into one that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance... -
Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act Allows Some 300,000 Central Americans to Become Legal Residents
In enacting the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, Congress rewrote provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that pertain to the circumstances under which certain aliens subject to expulsion from the United States may become legal residents. -
Terrorist Attacks Prompt US Department of Defense to Expand Military Support along the Borders
The military generally provides support to law enforcement and immigration authorities along the southern border. Reported escalations in criminal activity and illegal immigration, however, have prompted some lawmakers to reevaluate the extent and type of military support that occurs in the border region. -
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act Updates Immigration Databases and Travel Document Requirements
Approximately eight months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, on May 14, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. …It represents the most comprehensive immigration-related response to the continuing terrorist threat America faces. The Border Security law contains several provisions that are critical to our ability to control our border. -
"Minuteman Project" Begins Recruiting Civilians to Patrol the US-Mexico Border
"In Arizona, a group calling itself the Minuteman Project has stationed scores of men and women along the Mexican border in a controversial effort to track down undocumented immigrants. The Minutmen take their name from a militia group during the American Revolutionary War. The group’s founder, James Gilchrist, says the project [since Oct. 1, 2004] has attracted some 450 volunteers from around the country. -
REAL ID Act Expands Laws for Asylum and Deportation of Foreigners for Terrorist Activity
Three major provisions of the REAL ID Act, as enacted, which inter alia, (1)modifies the eligibility criteria for asylum and withholding of removal; (2) limits judicial review of certain immigration decisions; (3) provides additional waiver authority over laws that might impede the expeditious construction of barriers and roads along land borders, including a 14-mile wide fence near San Diego. -
Secure Fence Act Authorizes Fencing along the US-Mexican Border
The Secure Fence Act was signed into law on October 26, 2006. The Act authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of double-layered fencing along the nation's Southern border. It also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take action to stop the unlawful entry of undocumented immigrants, terrorists, and contraband into the U.S. using both personnel and surveillance technology. The Secretary is further instructed to evaluate U.S. Customs and Border Protection training and equipment. -
US Department of Homeland Security Estimates 11.8 Million Unauthorized Immigrants in US with 59% from Mexico
".. An estimated 11.8 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States in January 2007 compared to 8.5 million in 2000. Between 2000 and 2007, the unauthorized population increased 3.3 million; the annual average increase during this period was 470,000. Nearly 4.2 million (35 percent) of the total 11.8 million unauthorized residents in 2007 had entered in 2000 or later. An estimated 7.0 million (59 percent) were from Mexico." -
Controversial Arizona Bill (SB 1070) Signed into Law, Expanding the State's Authority to Combat Illegal Immigration
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law Friday [April 23] the most restrictive immigration bill in the country (SB1070), setting the stage for a showdown with the Obama administration and reigniting a divisive national debate less than seven months before congressional midterm elections. Under Arizona's new law, to take effect in 90 days, it will be a state crime to be in the country illegally, and legal immigrants will be required to carry paperwork proving their status. -
Judge Blocks Key Parts of Arizona's Anti-Illegal Immigration Law
A federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of Arizona's new immigration law on the eve of implementation. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton granted the Obama administration's request for a preliminary injunction on the grounds that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, not states blocked a requirement that police check the immigration status of people stopped for such routine infractions as traffic violations, if police suspect they are in the US illegally. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Law Penalizing Businesses That Hire Undocumented Immigrants
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Arizona law that imposes sanctions against businesses that hire illegal immigrants. The court, on a 5-3 vote, said federal immigration law does not bar Arizona from suspending or revoking the licenses of businesses that employ unauthorized aliens Then-Gov. Napolitano signed the Arizona law in 2007, saying that while immigration is a federal responsibility, Arizona had been forced to deal with the issue because the demand for cheap, undocumented labor. -
President Obama Signs Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to Allow Some Undocumented Immigrants Who Came to the United States as Children to Stay in the Country
Thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be allowed to remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work, under an executive action the Obama administration announced on Friday. Administration said the president used existing legal authority to make the policy change, which could temporarily benefit more than 800k young people. He didn't consult with Congress, where Republicans have generally opposed measures to benefit illegal immigrants. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Centerpiece of 2010 Arizona Immigration Law, Rejects Other Provisions
The Supreme Court on delivered a split decision on Arizona's tough 2010 immigration law, upholding its most debated provision but blocking others on the grounds that they interfered with the federal government's role in setting immigration policy. The court sustained the law's centerpiece, the one critics have called its 'show me your papers' provision, though they left the door open to further challenges. The provision requires state law enforcement officials to determine immigration status. -
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act Adds Immigrants to Protected Classes
The VAWA [Violence Against Women Act] provides a temporary visa and creates a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants who are the victims of domestic abuse. The idea being that immigrants who are subject to domestic violence don’t report it for fear of being deported or are abused though the threat of deportation. As a result, VAWA has been a useful tool for undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows by both speaking out against their abusers and securing legal status. -
President Obama Announced Executive Action to Prevent Deportation of Millions of Immigrants in the United States Illegally
Obama imposed the most sweeping immigration reform in a generation on Thursday, easing the threat of deportation for some 4.7 million undocumented immigrants and setting up a clash with Republicans who vow to fight his moves. Obama rejected Republican arguments that his decision to bypass Congress and take executive action was tantamount to amnesty for illegal immigrants. With 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million remain in the country.