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Enactment of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 represented a major departure from immigration policies in the post World War II period, which had increasingly granted rights and privileges to immigrants.1 The ideology underpinning the 1965 immigration legislation embraced the value of family reunification and the rejection of admission based on national origin, race, or ancestry, which had favored immigrants from northwestern Europe. IIRIRA changed the ideological course of post World War II immigration policies by introducing provisions that made it harder for immigrants, especially poor immigrants, to enter the country to join their families and made it easier for the government to deport non-citizens. Other provisions of IIRIRA increased border enforcement in the US-Mexico border area, which often included the policing of neighborhoods near the border. All of these measures have the potential to undermine family unification and redefine the social membership of immigrants.
In this paper, we report how IIRIRA has had latent and undesirable effects for families and communities in the areas we selected as research sites. Our findings are based on data gathered in field research and interviews conducted in several Texas cities, in Mexican border towns, and in migrant-sending communities in El Salvador.
We begin by providing a brief overview of IIRIRA measures that seemingly have the potential for creating stress and tension in the immigrant population because they were developed to increase enforcement, toughen the process for admission, and facilitate the removal of immigrants from the country. We then describe the research sites and research methods of our study. Drawing on interviews with governmental agencies, community organizations, and Hispanic households, we then present our findings. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the broader themes that emerge from our research on the impacts of IIRIRA.
IIRIRA border and criminal alien enforcement
IIRIRA substantially increased enforcement resources to prevent illegal entry along the US-Mexico border. It provided the Border Patrol with additional personnel, as well as equipment and technology, to control unauthorized border crossings. For example, it authorized an increase in the number of new Border Patrol agents by 1,000 a year, reaching a total of 10,000 by 2001; all of the new recruits were deployed along the US-Mexico border (Andreas, 2000). The law...