This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Friday, July 19th, 2013.

I'm Caleb Brown.

When conservatives opposed to increasing immigration use the word amnesty to refer to the main bill under discussion, what are they

talking about?

Alex Narasta, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, argues that amnesty defined by legislation

currently under consideration is hardly a free pass.

There are several U.S. representatives, several commentators who view are using the word

amnesty to refer to the provisions in the Senate bill that

legalizes undocumented workers and they're using this term as a pejorative to refer to essentially a free pass.

So in 86, when you and I've talked before, you said, look, 1986, that was an amnesty.

So what were the terms of the 86 reform and what are the terms in the Senate bill now?

Well, it's funny you say that, like in 1986, and the journalist Pallara Marrero of the law opinion

has hilarious stories about the 1986 reform where INS agents were walking down the streets of Los Angeles with giant sombrero's on,

literally signing people up for green cards who came onto the street, you know, playing Mariachi music.

I mean, a literal sort of you couldn't get more stereotypical and ridiculous than that.

Now in contrast to that 1986 you know amnesty the bill right now in the Senate

require it has numerous steps to it that take a total 13 years

from the time the bill goes into effect until the legalized immigrant can apply for citizenship, assuming not all the steps go well. Steps include

you know paying any and all outstanding tax bills going through numerous

national security and background checks. A thousand dollar fine, a couple of $500 fees, making sure that they never go on

welfare, that they make incomes at the federal poverty level, and then at later stages above the federal poverty level and then at later stages above the federal

poverty level speaking English as well as all the other normal fees and

...