The disastrous, forgotten 1996 law that created today's immigration problem

But the '96 law essentially invented immigration enforcement as we know it today — where deportation is a constant and plausible threat to millions of immigrants.

Tl;dr The whole concept of "illegal" immigration in the US as we know it was really instigated by Bill Clinton in 1996. One might say he is the father of border fascism in this country. The number of people harmed and even killed as a result of this legislation is staggering.