[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5540]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            AMNESTY DEFINED

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there is much discussion these days 
about immigration and what amnesty means. But the definition is clear.
  In Black's Law Dictionary, ``A pardon extended by the government to a 
group or class of persons. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act 
provided amnesty for undocumented aliens already present in the 
country.''
  That's exactly what the Senate immigration bill does.
  And from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, amnesty is ``The act of an 
authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group 
of individuals.''
  Again, that's exactly what the Senate immigration bill does.
  You could say that the Senate immigration bill amounts to amnesty-
plus, since illegal immigrants are pardoned, plus are allowed to become 
citizens.

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