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This period was marked by fairly free and circular or seasonal immigration from Mexico. However, it was also a time of tension revealed in the Chicano Movement prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s, which raised concerns against the unfair treatment of low-wage Mexican workers.
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Removed the National Origins Formula observed since the 1920s, in light of the Civil Rights Movement. The previous system encouraged the homogeneity of the American population based on European descent.
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Raised concerns over America having an illegal immigration problem followed by an end of circular immigration and stricter border security enforcement.
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Strict sanctions were placed for employers of illegal aliens and illegal immigration was recognized as a problem. These were events leading up to the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) (1986). The stance at this time also had the provision of amnesty which was more visible earlier in this issue. National security was discussed with greater fervor in later years making 'legalization' a more favored word compared to amnesty.
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The act addressed the issue of unauthorized immigration. It was a bipartisan agreement implemented by Congress which a) established amnesty for established residents, b) enforced stricter border security, and c) the annual immigration ceiling was raised to 540,000.
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Congress revised the Immigration Act of 1965 by implementing the H-1B visa program for skilled temporary workers, with some provisions for conversion to permanent status, and the diversity visa lottery for populations unable to enter through the preference system.
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The annual immigration ceiling is further raised to 700,000 for 1992, 1993,and 1994. The ceiling will drop to 675,000 a year. Ten thousand permanent resident visas are offered to those immigrants agreeing to invest at least $1 million in U.S. urban areas or $500,000 in U.S. rural areas. The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 is amended so that people can no longer be denied admittance to the United States on the basis of their beliefs, statements, or associations.
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Bill Clinton's administration introduces Operation Gatekeeper to stop unauthorized illegal immigration across San Diego and Tijuana. Border patrol is intensified.
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Building on the steps taken with IRCA in 1986, Congress passed the IIRIRA which further empowered federal authorities to enforce immigration restrictions by adding resources for border policing, mandating the construction of fences at the most heavily trafficked areas of the U.S.-Mexico border, and verification of employment credentials. This also meant that any non-U.S, citizens convicted of a crime could be deported to their country of origin.
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President Clinton signs a welfare reform bill that cuts many social programs for immigrants. Legal immigrants lose their right to food stamps and Supplemental Security Income (a program for older, blind, and disabled people). Illegal immigrants become ineligible for virtually all federal and state benefits except emergency medical care, immunization programs, and disaster relief.
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U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) propose the first Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would provide a pathway to legal status for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally by their parents as children. The bill fails.
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After the attacks of September 11th, the U.S. government acted to expand the budget, staffing, and powers of the immigration enforcement bureaucracy
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The Homeland Security Act created the Department of Homeland Security, consolidating 22 diverse agencies and bureaus, and creation of it demonstrates mounting anxieties about immigration post-9/11.
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Secretary of Homeland Security obtained operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders including an expansion of existing walls, fences, and surveillance.
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Trying to cope with the long-term residence of millions of unauthorized immigrants, this executive order provided protection from deportation and work authorization to persons who arrived as minor children and had lived in the United States since June 15, 2007. However, it didn’t provide a path to citizenship.
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This executive order issued under the Obama Presidency sought to defer deportation and some other protections for unauthorized immigrants whose children were either American citizens or lawful permanent residents.
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Between 2017 and 2018, immigration restrictions heighten generally with the beginning of the Trump administration. Modifications were made to end family separations after enough criticism by Congress.
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Justice Department announces “Zero Tolerance Policy” for illegal entry.
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President Trump ended family separation through an executive order in June 2018, after protests and disapproval by Congress. His EO also instructed the Attorney General to seek the modification of the Flores Settlement and to prioritize the adjudication of cases of detained families. In turn, the DHS was ordered to keep in custody detained families during criminal and asylum proceedings and as their asylum claims are adjudicated and the DOD to find or construct facilities for detained families.
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Trump Administration introduces a new rule on Public Charge Exclusions. The rationale given: At a time when the American welfare system is already overburdened and over extended, this proposed rule remains in line with President Trump’s campaign promise to put Americans first, the campaign promise for which the majority of Americans voted.
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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new asylum policy: individuals arriving in or entering the United States from Mexico—illegally or without proper documentation—may be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings.
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President Trump signs Memo enforcing the legal responsibilities of immigrant sponsors. He signed a memorandum for welfare reform package signed into law in 1996 by then-President Bill Clinton according to which future immigrant sponsors will be required to sign an affidavit ensuring financial responsibility for the sponsored immigrant. Additionally, the memo created a collection mechanism to recover any needed funds from the sponsor.
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U.S. Supreme Court approved “safe third country” asylum rule deeming migrants ineligible for asylum if they failed to make their request in a designated safe third country which they had passed through on their way to the United States.
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Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s attempt to end DACA.
