Question

why was the immigrant responsibility act of 1996 enacted? Can someone help me find specific facts of how bad immigration really was

Answer 1

I think illegal immigration was an ongoing problem. I didn't find any specifics about how "bad" it was -- but it's natural for any country to want to enforce its laws.

These sites may help you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_Immigration_Reform_and_Immigrant_Responsibility_Act_of_1996

(Broken Link Removed)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States

Answer 2

i guess im trying to say why this act was needed. was there a great problem that caused it to go into effect?

Answer 3

It looks as though there was an increase in Mexican immigrants in the 90s. As the U.S. economy prospered, more low-paid workers were needed to produce our food.

Check out these sites.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Mexico+immigration+90s