More than IRCA: U.S. Legalization Programs and the Current Policy Debate
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Highlights
A century of U.S. registry and population‑specific legalization programs shows that the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was just one piece of the puzzle.
- More immigrants have been legalized in the United States through population-specific and registry programs than through the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), contradicting the common assumption that IRCA was the primary legalization mechanism.
- U.S. legalization programs have been an enduring feature of immigration law since the 1920s, taking three forms: general legalization, population-specific programs, and registry programs for long-term unauthorized residents.
- Registry programs have existed since 1929, granting legal status to long-term unauthorized residents.
- The brief provides an historical overview of U.S. legalization programs and argues that understanding this full history is essential for evaluating the current policy debate.
Legalization programs have been an enduring and necessary feature of U.S. immigration law and policy since the nation’s first quota restrictions in the 1920s, and remain a policy option used with some regularity by governments in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere to deal with their unauthorized immigrant populations.
This policy brief shows that more immigrants have been legalized through population-specific and registry programs in the United States than through the general legalization provisions contained in the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). With the exception of IRCA's generalized legalization, U.S. legalization programs have targeted discrete groups of unauthorized or temporary residents through population-specific programs and through “registry” programs that cover very long-term unauthorized immigrants.
This policy brief provides an historical overview of U.S. legalization programs, statistics, a primer on the different types of programs, and discussion of the current policy debate.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
A. Defining Legalization
B. Taxonomy of U.S. Legalization Programs
II. The History of U.S. Legalization Programs
A. Registry Programs
B. Population-Specific Legalization Programs
C. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
III.Legalization Programs and the Current Debate
IV. Conclusion
About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.
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