The State : 2.5 Million Seek Amnesty

Roughly 2.5 million illegal immigrants applied for permanent residency under the government’s amnesty program for undocumented aliens, Immigration and Naturalization Commissioner Alan Nelson has announced. The applications, encouraged by the immigration reform law of 1986, were filed by illegal aliens who have been in the United States since Jan. 1, 1982. The amnesty deadline was May 4, but applicants were granted 60 more days to complete documents. “This is a moment of history in what has been a successful and humanitarian effort to bring qualified aliens out of the shadow world to eventually claim all benefits accorded American citizens,” Nelson said. Agricultural laborers who worked in this country between May 1, 1985, and May 1, 1986, have until Nov. 30 to apply for temporary residency permits. Such permits can lead to permanent residency and citizenship.