Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy.
In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of reducing or eliminating immigration altogether. In that sense, reform typically refers to a wide spectrum of viewpoints which may include anti-immigration and immigration reduction. However, the term is also widely used to describe proposals to increase legal immigration while decreasing illegal immigration, such as the guest worker proposal supported by George W. Bush.
In the United States, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, NumbersUSA, and Congressman Tom Tancredo are examples of those using the term who support reduced immigration numbers. Senator John McCain, Americans for Immigration Reform, Congressman Chris Cannon, and the National Immigration Forum are examples of those who use the term to describe their proposals for reforming immigration policies by increasing the number of people legally admitted into the country.
In the United Kingdom, the Liberal Democrats and the IPPR (a Labour-leaning think-tank) support a selective amnesty for illegal immigrants who have lived in the country for at least ten years and who do not have a criminal record. It is argued that bringing many of these (c. 500,000) individuals into the legal economy would allow police to concentrate resources on tackling people traffickers and criminals - and would raise billions in tax revenue - whereas deporting them would cost £4.7 billion and take 30 years. [1]
Immigration reform in the United States
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In 1875, Congress barred the immigration of convicts and prostitutes and restricted Chinese immigration. From 1882 to 1943, Chinese laborers were not permitted to immigrate to the United States. In 1904, Japanese immigration was restricted.[2] In 1921, the Emergency Quota Act established immigration quotas by country of origin.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants.
In 2005, the U.S House of Representatives passed the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, and in 2006 the U.S. Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. Neither bill became law because their differences could not be reconciled in conference committee. [3]
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