Myth: Amnesty will halt illegal immigration

Liberal myth

An amnesty for illegal aliens will solve the problem of unlawful immigration.

The facts

An amnesty will make America’s illegal immigration problem worse by rewarding those who break the law and encouraging others to follow suit.

Amnesty is wrong

Amnesty undercuts the rule of law by rewarding those who have acted wrongly.

• Amnesty only encourages further illegal entry by those who want to take advantage of the program. This makes the immigration problem worse, not better.
• Previous amnesty programs have been unable to process applicants quickly and weed out illegal aliens, especially potential terrorists. Three known terrorists, for example, exploited the 1986 amnesty.

Need for reform

Immigration reform is necessary. It will succeed only if it

• Enhances America’s national security
• Promotes economic growth
• Protects freedom and liberty

A better program

A better immigration plan is one that

• Does not grant amnesty to illegal aliens
• Provides the infrastructure to properly implement a guest worker program
• Ensures internal enforcement of immigration laws
• Effectively engages the cooperation of states in Latin America
• Requires an effective border control strategy

Related Heritage research

• Edwin Meese and Matthew Spalding, “Where We Stand: Essential Requirements for Immigration Reform,” May 10, 2007
• Edwin Meese and Matthew Spalding, “Permanent Principles and Temporary Workers,” March 1, 2006
• Tim Kane and Kirk Johnson, “The Real Problem with Immigration …and the Real Solution,” March 1, 2006
• Helen E. Krieble, “Private Employers and Border Control,” March 1, 2006
• James Carafano, Janice Kephart and Paul Rosenzweig, “The McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill Falls Short,” July 26, 2005
• Edwin Meese III and Matthew Spalding, “The Principles of Immigration,” October 19, 2004