Section 249(a) of the 1986 Immigration and Nationality Act should be fixed as this statutory avenue of relief for long-time undocumented immigrants has become obsolete since President Reagan updated the provision 32 years ago. It benefits only undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 1, 1972. Congress should advance this qualifying date to June 15, 2007, the DACA entry date which “Dreamers” are familiar with.

The public has seen the attorney general and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) step up interior enforcement as well as border enforcement. It is the interior of the United States where long-time residents with roots here can be found; they comprise a large portion of the 11 million undocumented immigrants. 

By upgrading the entry date, Congress would take one small step that provides a giant leap forward for a majority of the 11 million undocumented residents who have contributed to their communities and wish to apply for lawful permanent residence. President Reagan himself said, as the bipartisan 99th Congress enacted the update to section 249(a) in 1986, that he believed in granting protection “for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though some time back they may have entered illegally.” 

Robert Kim Bingham, Sr.

Retired ICE Attorney

Salem