‘Why Did You Float DACA?’ Mullin Put On The Spot Over Immigration Deal
Forty years after the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, renewed calls for a legalization pathway for long-residing undocumented immigrants intensify, including the current administration’s openness to a deal that could grant status to some who have lived here for a decade or more. History shows that such amnesty was paired with limited enforcement, leaving the border unsettled and the undocumented population to swell far beyond projections. The piece argues that granting broad legal status would reshape political landscapes, especially in California, and cautions that the incentives for future illegal entry would persist. It concludes that any deal should be weighed against the long-term electoral and demographic shifts already evident since 1986, with the author urging careful consideration of outcomes before moving forward.
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The author recalls that IRCA granted legalization to about 3 million people, with roughly 2.7 million obtaining green cards, split between a general program (1.6 million) and a farm-worker program (1.1 million). In exchange, supporters promised a secure border and penalties for employers, but enforcement never fully materialized, and the undocumented population grew dramatically thereafter.
By 2013, the illegal population was estimated to exceed 11 million, with some estimates reaching as high as 22 million, illustrating a staggering divergence from the agreement's expectations.
California absorbed the bulk of legalization when about 55% of applicants lived there; subsequent political realignments contributed to a long-term shift, as the state voted Republican in multiple elections through the 1980s and then shifted decisively blue in later years, helping redefine national politics.
After the recent election, the American Business Immigration Coalition urged legal status for millions of illegal aliens, and Rep. Maria Salazar’s Dignity Act was highlighted as emblematic of that approach; within hours, Salazar claimed the proposal matched her bill’s intent, underscoring how quickly such ideas move through D.C. channels.
Eight Republican cosponsors of Salazar’s bill lost their seats in the wake of the election, and exit polls suggested voters favored enforcement over comprehensive amnesty as a political signal, complicating prospects for any broad legalization push.
The piece reinforces that while the White House denies invoking amnesty, any plan to give legal status to those who entered illegally would be labeled as amnesty by critics; the author warns that such a policy would send a global message that illegal entry can eventually be legalized.
Drawing on his 24 years with ICE, the author emphasizes that the 1986 bargain shaped migratory incentives for decades and urges policymakers to study the map and historical outcomes before advancing a similar deal, given California’s enduring political and demographic shifts.