There remains regrettable political violence. despite dramatic improvements. However. both in the case of Salvadorans and in the case of Nicaraguans. I find individual consideration of each case preferable to blanket categorization of up to 700.000 illegal aliens. Surely the opening of a loophole for more than a half million people does violence to the immigration reform passed last year. We have had a heavy volume of El Salvadoran illegals for many years. The passage of this bill will be a magnet for many more who will hasten to arrive before the effective date. This decade has seen great progress in our immigration and refugee laws. first in the 1980 Refugee Act. then in last years immigration reform. Both those laws establish a fair and comprehensive approach to vexing problems. Todays legislation in my judgment. represents a step backward from those bills.
Identified stereotypes
Categorizing all undocumented immigrants from El Salvador and Nicaragua as a single group.