John Conyers: “the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 was touted as legislation that would control…”

“the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 was touted as legislation that would control illegal immigration. It actually has many provisions that significantly affect American families, legal immigration and others seeking to enter the United States legally. Among other things, the 1996 law subjects long-time lawful permanent residents to deportation for minor offenses committed prior to the enactment of the 1996 law. H.R. 5062 is the product of negotiations between Representative Barney Frank, Henry Hyde and Bill McCollum: It applies only to eliminating mandatory deportation of legal permanent residents who committed offenses that were not deportable prior to enactment of the 1996 law. Mandatory deportation will not be required for persons who were convicted prior to September 30, 1996, of 'aggravated felonies' that were not deportable offenses at the time of the conviction. Such persons will be eligible to apply for cancellation of removal. People who have already been deported under the retroactive provisions of this law will be allowed to apply for readmission to this country, thus providing an avenue for the reunification of families that were split apart by the retroactive impact of the 1996 law. A technical provision known as the 'stop-time rule' also will be eliminated for those offenses committed on or before enactment of the 1996 law. This provision enables persons to take advantage of cancellation of removal.”