Speech #1090134950

But if the Department of Homeland Security identifies a pattern of fraud. it would be prohibited from using that information in one fraudulent application to deny another application that was submitted as part of a criminal conspiracy. The same restrictions were included in the 1986 legislation program. and that caused widespread fraud and abuse. There is no reason to treat legalization applications any differently from any other immigration application submitted to the Department of Homeland Security. The New York Times described the 1986 agricultural worker amnesty as "One of the most extensive immigration frauds ever perpetrated against the United States Government." Although the estimated size of the illegal alien population engaged in agricultural work in the 1980s was only about 300.000 to 400.000 out of a total agricultural workforce of 2.5 million. 1.3 million aliens were amnestied under the program. Let me make sure that is clear. Although the estimated size of the illegal alien population engaged in agricultural work in the 1980s was only 300.000 to 400.000. 1.3 million aliens were amnestied under that program. The confidentiality provisions of the 1986 act were credited with causing the widespread fraud and abuse. In 1999. the General Counsel during the Clinton administration testified before the House that "the confidentiality restrictions of the law in the 1986 amnesty also prevented the Immigration and Naturalization Service from pursuing cases of possible fraud detected during the application process." In 1995. a man by the name of Jose Velez. the expresident of LULAC. was found guilty of immigration fraud after he filed fraudulent applications under the 1986 amnesty. The task force that brought down that particular conspiracy resulted in guilty pleas or convictions of 20 individuals who together were responsible for filing false legalization applications for in excess of an estimated 11.000 unqualified aliens. In other words. 20 people pled guilty to falsified legalization applications for in excess of 11.000 unqualified aliens.