Immigration Judges Employed 1-16-26

The U.S. involved immigration processes to grant amnesty primarily through the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, signed by President Reagan, offering legalization to nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants who entered before 1982 or met agricultural work requirements, though this was handled by the then-INS (now USCIS), not immigration judges directly in the initial application phase, with judges later involved in appeals or specific later programs like Late Amnesty.  

Key Points:

The Act: IRCA, signed in November 1986, provided a pathway to Lawful Permanent Residence (green card) for eligible undocumented immigrants.

Eligibility: Applicants needed to prove continuous U.S. residence since before January 1, 1982, or have significant agricultural work experience.

Process: Applications were submitted to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) during a one-year window (May 1987-May 1988).

Role of Judges: While judges weren't central to the initial mass application, they handled appeals or later eligibility cases, such as the "Late Amnesty" program, which allowed some to reapply after denials. 

In the US, immigration judges were formally involved in adjudicating status and potential relief (often colloquially termed "amnesty") starting with a major administrative reorganization in 1983. 

Key developments in their involvement include:

Establishment of Independent Courts (1983): On January 9, 1983, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) was created to separate the judicial function from the enforcement function of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). This gave immigration judges independent authority to determine if individuals should be removed or allowed to remain in the U.S. through various forms of relief.

The "Reagan Amnesty" (1986): The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 is the most significant "amnesty" program in U.S. history. While the initial application process was largely administrative, immigration judges became involved through the administrative and judicial review of denied applications for legalization.

"Late Amnesty" Cases (2000): Involvement was extended further in 2000 through "Late Amnesty"

provisions, which allowed individuals who were still fighting original IRCA denials from the 1980s to reapply or have their cases reconsidered in the court system.

Asylum and Other Relief: Since the Refugee Act of 1980, immigration judges have held the authority to grant asylum to individuals already in the U.S., a form of relief from removal that is distinct from a general legislative amnesty. 

Over the last quarter-century, immigration judges have issued over 700,000 decisions granting some form of relief from deportation. 

These official records explain the evolution of immigration courts and data on relief grants by judges:

https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+the+us+involve+immigration+judges+to+grant+amnesty

Comments

90% of all Amnesty Claims are denied. All Illegals need to self-deport and apply for employment for job openings they are qualified to do. The US Congress needs to clean up US Immigration Laws to favor US Citizens.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader