Migration Issues: Raising the Stakes in U.S.-Latin American Relations

During the period of 1994-1996 the U.S. government enacted restrictive immigration policies, which have had profound consequences for Latin America, the major source of recent migration to the United States (see Table 11.1). In 1994, Californians approved Proposition 187, denying medical services, except in emergencies, and schooling for undocumented children. Nineteen ninety-six alone was an active year for legislation concerning or effecting immigrants. Congress approved three laws: the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA); the Antiterrorism Act and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996; and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (i.e., the Welfare Act).