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Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status and made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants, but legalized certain illegal immigrants. -
Catalyst for Reform Protests
The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 by a vote of 239 to 182, but the bill did not pass the Senate. It was specifically intended to increase enforcement against human smugglers. -
Reform Protests Begin
An estimated 100,000 people at a major demonstration in Chicago made the initial impetus for protests around the country. The protests were responding to a bill that would raise penalties for illegal immigration, classify undocumented immigrants and punish those who tried to smuggle them in. The single largest demonstration took place in downtown Los Angeles, with over 500,000 people. -
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006
Congress passes a bill that increases border security patrol, allow long-time illegal immigrants to gain legal status and increase the number of guest workers over and above those already present in the U.S. through a new "blue card" visa program. -
Obama Pushes Immigration Bill As Priority
Immigration reform becomes a hot topic for Obama, who pushed for a policy that would control immigration and make it an orderly system. -
8 Bi-partisan Senators Make a Move
A bi-partisan group of eight senators announce principles for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). The senators include: Chuck Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, and Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Jeff Flake of Arizona. -
Arizona SB 1070 Passes
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, also Arizona SB 1070 for short, which was at that time the strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in recent U.S. history. The act made it a misdemeanor for an alien to be in Arizona without proper documentation. Critics of the legistation said it invited racial profiling.
