Reagan passed the largest Amnesty Bill in the history of the country. He did this to break union control of the labor market, especially in states like California.
Big Business wants cheap labor & talk radio wants a scapegoat for its "Borders, Language, Culture" mantra. Illegal Aliens are the gift that keeps on giving.
Reagan didn't pass anything. He signed the bill in
1986 and the bill had "employer sanctions" which makes it illegal to hire illegals which for the most part haven't been enforced. He signed it because he thought these employer sanctions would be enforced. This is old news.
Congress has passed 7 amnesties for illegal aliens, starting in
1986.
1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA), 1986: A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens
2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994: A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens
3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997: An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994
4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for close to one million illegal aliens from Central America
5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998: An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti
6. Late Amnesty, 2000: An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens
7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000: A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens.