NEW AMNESTY BILLS COULD HELP HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants could benefit from two broad amnesty bills being sponsored in Congress. One move, led by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) would reopen amnesty processing for approximately 350,000 people who were incorrectly denied participation in the 1986 amnesty program. That program allowed immigrants who lived illegally in the US since 1982 to seek permanent residency in the US. Jackson Lee’s bill is expected to face serious opposition from House Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith.

In a separate measure, Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is sponsoring legislation that would grant permanent residency to as a half million Central Americans and Haitians. The measure would grant the same rights to permanent residency as Cubans and Nicaraguans received under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act. Proponents of the new bill argue that NACARA unjustifiably favored immigrants fleeing communist regimes.

President Clint is planning to back the legislation and 100 members of Congress have agreed to serve as co-sponsors.

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