President. in the 1980s. this country actively encouraged people fearing persecution. fearing death squads. fearing disruptions of their communities to come to America. Then we took extraordinary measures to make it feasible for them to stay here. even those who had been denied asylum through the official asylumseeking procedures. All of this transpired. Mr. President. prior to the passage of the 1996 immigration bill. At that point. things changed. Here I think it is very important to understand some of the legal circumstances that changed. Prior to the passage of the 1996 bill. if someone had been in this country for a period of 7 years or more. they were permitted to seek suspension and adjustment of their status from being in illegal status here or being here under one of the special programs for the Central Americans.
Keywords matched
immigration