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Monday, May 27, 2013

Reagan's Amnesty - How Much Fraud?

In response:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/26/1986-immigration-reform_n_3340893.html?&ir=Latino%20Voices&utm_hp_ref=latino-voices

Interested in some behind the scenes facts of Reagan's Special Agricultural Worker (SAW) Amnesty program? I worked as a Special Agent for INS. I know firsthand that our agency was not provided the resources to investigate the hundreds of thousands of fraudulent "SAW" applications submitted during this program. Agents in the field knew this - as did our powers to be in Washington. Yet it was more important to the Reagan administration for Amnesty to "appear" successful than to deal with the truth. Applications were eventually rubberstamped through and their applicants received permanent resident cards despite the fact that they were obtained through fraud.

How many people committed fraud? Unfortunately privacy act provisions negotiated prior to the passing of Amnesty would not let us find out. Those in the know say that the SAW program fraud ranged from 30% to 70%. Check out this NY Times Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/washington/23amnesty.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Another fact you may not want to hear: I worked as an ICE liaison agent with Sacramento DEA targeting the Mexican Mafia who ran methamphetamine labs in central and northern California. I know first hand that the majority of the convicted defendants in our meth manufacturing cases had received permanent resident status through Reagan's "SAW" program. Where these defendants' "SAW" cases fraudulent? Again, it was against the law for us to look. That information was off limits and contained behind the red "privacy act" sheets in their immigration "A" files.

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