Life for Pot

 This is something we should remember about Regan and Amnesty for immigrants.

Conservatives may be reminded what their party was like in the 1980s.  Many young Republicans may become informed. This NPR piece is something that present "social conservatives" will be surprised by. 

A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants

by NPR Staff

July 04, 2010 2:12 PM

Listen to the Story

Enlarge image

"I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally," Ronald Reagan said in 1984.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

As the nation's attention turns back to the fractured debate over immigration, it might be helpful to remember that in 1986, Ronald Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. It was sold as a crackdown: There would be tighter security at the Mexican border, and employers would face strict penalties for hiring undocumented workers.
But the bill also made any immigrant who'd entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty — a word not usually associated with the father of modern conservatism.
In his renewed push for an immigration overhaul this week, President Obama called for Republican support for a bill to address the growing population of illegal immigrants in the country. This time, however, Republicans know better than to tread near the politically toxic A-word.