Did Reagan care about immigrants?

[Beringia]

I was reading a speech he made about immigrants in 1989 and I wondered if he genuinely cared about immigrants or not. Considering he was such a corporatist, I can't imagine he cared about them.

I read he passed the The Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act altered U.S. immigration law, making it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants and establishing financial and other penalties for companies that employed illegal immigrants. The act also legalized most illegal immigrants who had arrived in the country prior to January 1, 1982. Despite the passage of the act, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States rose from 5 million in 1986 to 11.1 in 2013.

From his speech:

Yes, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our heritage, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors. It is that lady who gives us our great and special place in the world. For it's the great life force of each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America's triumph shall continue unsurpassed into the next century and beyond. Other countries may seek to compete with us; but in one vital area, as a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth comes close.

This, I believe, is one of the most important sources of America's greatness. We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.

https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/011989b

[UniteFightBack]

1. Yes I believe he cared and valued immigrants. nt

[Mike Nelson]

2. I think he considered it...

… part of what made the country great. At the time, Republicans hoped to get a good share of new Americans' votes, too... they gave that up to get the Deplorable vote.

[Wounded Bear]

3. In Reaganomics, cheap labor is valued above all...

immigrants, especially "illegal" ones, drive wages down, both through increased competition for jobs and through being able to intimidate immigrants with threats of calling in Immigration enforcement.

The new meme is "all immigrants bad" especially those of the melatonin blessed variety.

[appalachiablue]

4. +1. Follow the money, it was a gift to his Big Ag buddies in CA

[safeinOhio]

5. His last speech as president