1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web97-295 AFebruary 28, 1997Immigration: New Consequences of IllegalPresence(name redacted)Legislative AttorneyAmerican Law DivisionSummaryThe 104th Congress passed major legislation to combat illeg
2、al migration to the U.S.One purpose of this law, enacted as the Illegal Immigration Reform and ImmigrantResponsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) (Division C of P.L. 104-208), is to establish newlegal disincentives to reside in the U.S. illegally.The Immigration and Naturalization Service has estimated th
3、at 5 million aliens wereresiding here unlawfully as of October 1996. Of this estimated population, about three-fifths entered surreptitiously (called EWIs, for entered without inspection), and abouttwo-fifths overstayed nonimmigrant visas (e.g., tourist visas). Employment appears tobe the primary ma
4、gnet, but there also are other motives for illegal residency. Forexample, spouses and children of legal immigrants, and certain relatives of citizens, mayestablish illegal residence to bypass long waiting lists for immigrant visas.The following are among the disabilities IIRIRA attaches to illegal p