Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
E50000
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 is a landmark U.S. law that combined employer sanctions for hiring unauthorized immigrants with a large-scale legalization program for certain undocumented residents.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal statute
→
immigration law → |
| affectedPopulationEstimate | approximately 2.7 million people legalized → |
| alsoKnownAs | Simpson–Mazzoli Act → |
| amends | Immigration and Nationality Act → |
| chamberOfOrigin | United States Senate → |
| codifiedIn | 8 U.S. Code → |
| country |
United States of America
→
surface form:
United States
|
| createdAgencyResponsibility | Immigration and Naturalization Service → |
| createdVerificationRequirement | yes → |
| eligibilityCriterion |
admissibility under existing immigration law
→
application within specified legalization filing periods → continuous unlawful residence in the United States since before January 1, 1982 → |
| employerSanctionsDescription |
imposed penalties on employers who knowingly hire or continue to employ unauthorized workers
→
prohibited employers from knowingly hiring unauthorized immigrants → |
| enactedBy | 99th United States Congress → |
| historicalSignificance |
first major U.S. law to impose sanctions on employers for hiring unauthorized immigrants
→
largest single legalization program in U.S. immigration history → |
| includesProvision |
Special Agricultural Worker program
→
surface form:
Special Agricultural Worker legalization program
anti-discrimination protections related to employment verification → employer sanctions for hiring unauthorized workers → increased border enforcement resources → legalization of certain undocumented immigrants → reforms to temporary agricultural worker programs → |
| introducedEmployerSanctions | yes → |
| legalizationProgram |
Special Agricultural Worker program
→
general amnesty for certain undocumented immigrants → legalization for long-term undocumented residents → |
| legalStatus | in force → |
| longTermImpact |
created a legalized cohort of former undocumented immigrants who could obtain permanent residence and citizenship
→
established employment eligibility verification as a core element of U.S. immigration enforcement → |
| policyApproach | combination of enforcement and legalization → |
| primaryGoal |
deter unauthorized immigration
→
legalize certain undocumented immigrants → reform United States immigration policy → |
| publicLawNumber | Public Law 99-603 → |
| shortName | IRCA → |
| signedBy | Ronald Reagan → |
| signingDate | 1986-11-06 → |
| sponsor |
Alan K. Simpson
→
Romano L. Mazzoli → |
| subjectMatter |
border security
→
immigration enforcement → labor and employment → legalization of undocumented immigrants → |
| title | An Act to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise and reform the immigration laws, and for other purposes → |
| topic | United States immigration policy reform → |
| verificationMechanism |
Form I-9
→
surface form:
Form I-9 employment eligibility verification
|
| yearEnacted | 1986 → |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Immigration and Nationality Act