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Xenophobia Created the Border Crisis, Not Biden
Let’s set the record straight about what’s happening on our southern border
One of the most beloved politicians in modern history once said:
“I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though some time back they may have entered illegally.”
If you thought this quote was from Barack Obama, then you’d be shocked to learn it was none other than Ronald Reagan.
Despite the 40th president’s far-right agenda, most people are surprised to learn that Reagan granted amnesty to nearly three million undocumented immigrants.
In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was a bipartisanship effort which might be the last of its kind. The legislation granted 2.7 million green cards (to those who had been living in the country since at least 1982), created stricter hiring provisions in order to deter companies from employing undocumented immigrants, and allocated more federal dollars to secure the southern border.
Prior to the IRCA, nearly half of undocumented immigrants, who came to the United States, returned home within a year — many of them simply looking for temporary work. Four decades later, that number is practically zero. In other words, if…
