The law that broke US immigration

Why the US has so many undocumented immigrants.

Immigration looked very different before 1996, when President Bill Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). The law was supposed to stop undocumented immigration by increasing enforcement and punishing people for being in the US undocumented. Instead, it incentivized people to stay in the US — and the undocumented population doubled.

When researching this story we used a lot of great resources. Here are a few of the most helpful:

Check out Vox’s past reporting on this issue to get more background:

[joermnyc]

“If it ain’t broke, break it.” -US Government

[dasau]

A country full of immigrants calling newer immigrants "cancer" is just *chef's kiss* muuaahh

[--Fenix--]

My wife immigrated through our marriage and my take on the system is that it should be easier, not harder, to get in to the country legally. The amount of paperwork, money, interviews, tax records, and time it took to go through the proper legal channels for a green card was eye opening. It became obvious why people seek an easy option to enter the country and overstay their visa.

[tjfm]

“Somehow we’re surprised by this outcome.” Exactly my reaction. If you come to America for any reason and want to become a legal citizen, the “right” way or whatever you want to call it, we’re going to make it extremely difficult for you. If you want to leave, you won’t be able to come back. The natural reaction is to stay illegally, and their family from the country they came from are probably going to just sneak in as well so they won’t have to be separated.

The fact that there’s so many undocumented immigrants then and now just proves that there’s a huge desire to come here, which is something Americans literally brag about, and that people will find a way in. Making it harder to be a legal citizen means they will simply continue to do things illegally. This applies to so many of America’s dumbest policies. *Banning something that a lot of people want or need just means they will find more dangerous ways to do it.*

[AsiniusNaso]

Every immigration issue the US has ever had was self-inflicted.

[tjr]

My aunt petitioned for my father back in 1988. The green card didn’t come through until 2002, 14 years later. I was a kid then so that automatically gave me a green card as well. I’m now a citizen.
Many don’t realize how lengthy the process is.

[zainmudassir]

People seem to forget Bill Clinton was very conservative on many issues like immigration, death penalty, drug war, border wall etc. to win over Republican voters. Reagan greatly moved US politics to the right and it's legacy still exists.

[nicolenice]

When I was a kid I'd always hear fox news talking about illegal aliens and I thought we found life on other planets.

[kelcey]

“We are a nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws” hasn’t aged well

[arun]

Even if you do everything “right” and migrate legally, the wait to get a permanent resident status is laughably long for some nationalities.

[tammyleung]

I remeber seeing a documentary about a guy who was adopted by an American family and move to USA when he was 6 months old. That guy got deported to South Korea (his birthplace) 40 years later because of issues with the adoption process. He could not speak Korean and knew nearly nothing about Korea! He had to leave his wife and daughter in USA.

[gracieallen]

You can blame Reagan for the Southern border immigration, Reagan stopped enforcing the laws that held employer’s responsible for hiring illegal immigrants.

[Simon-tcmc]

Literally everyone in the US who wasn't a white English protestant was at one point discriminated against in this country. So it's just infuriating people who are anti immigrant when it's likely their grandparents were discriminated against too.

[erbderbs]

Just follow the money. If they're documented then they are entitled to minimum wage, they can vote, they can sue their employer for unpaid wages or injuries, etc. If they remain undocumented then they are at the mercy of their employer.

[squigglyblue]

The 3 and 10 year bars might as well be lifetime bars because you're never getting a visa of any kind after overstaying (unless you marry a US citizen and get a waiver). In fact, the issuance of visas is entirely up to the discretion of the consulate. If you're from a poor country, don't have enough money, have a girlfriend in the US, or they just don't like you then you'll never get a visa.

Have a US citizen brother? Congratulations! Have him sponsor you and you'll have your visa in 15-20 years (Check Visa Bulletin. For Mexicans F4 they are processing applications filed April 22nd 1999).

Employment based sponsorship is extremely difficult and if you were born in India or China then you have no path to permanent residence. My wife's friends (who are husband and wife) both got their doctorates at US universities. They had been studying in the US for over 10 years and yet they didn't get lucky with the H1B lottery. They are now in Canada because the US immigration system decided that we don't need doctors.

[nobodyatallvallejo]

This is why people who say "there's a right way to come to this country..." don't know what the eff they're talking about.

[chelseapanp]

How in the world is IIRIRA pronounced as "ira-ira"?

[jasperdale]

Now it takes 10 years or more to approved family petition. Still waiting here in philippines hahaha 🤣

[ImYourAverageJoe]

The fact that people that these laws don’t affect are deeply concerned and advocating for better laws makes me happy. Thank you!

[Rambo]

It’s easier to migrate illegally than legally. There’s the main problem right there.