America’s immigration laws are some of the most complex and
archaic provisions that can be found in the U.S. statutes. The
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA) rivals the tax
code in the level of detail, confusion, and absurd consequences
produced by years of layering on provisions without
systematically reviewing their results. Since the 1960s,
Congress has periodically overhauled the INA, but has tended to
focus on one hot-button issue at a time, resulting in a
patchwork of outdated laws that fail to reflect the realities of
21st century America. The necessity of comprehensive immigration
reform stems from years of neglect and failure to respond to
incompatible interactions between different parts of the system,
resulting in breakdowns that have crippled our ability to
regulate immigration adequately, protect our borders, reunite
families, and foster economic opportunity. The Department of
Homeland Security released a report this week showing that
apprehensions of undocumented immigrants at the U.S