View source for Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

{{Short description|Major Attempt to alter US Immigration System}}
{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| name = Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
| fullname = 
| acronym = IRCA
| nickname = Simpson–Mazzoli Act/Reagan Amnesty
| enacted by = 99th
| effective date = Signed into law by Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986
| public law url = 
| cite public law = {{USPL|99|603}}
| cite statutes at large = {{USStat|100|3445}}
| acts amended = 
| title amended = [[Title 8 of the United States Code|8 U.S.C.: Aliens and Nationality]]
| sections created = 
| sections amended = {{Usc-title-chap|8|12}} § 1101 et seq.
| leghisturl =
| introducedin = Senate
| introducedbill = {{USBill|99|S|1200}}
| introducedby = [[Alan Simpson (American politician)|Alan Simpson]] (R–[[Wyoming|WY]])
| introduceddate = May 23, 1985
| committees = [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary]], [[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Senate Budget]]
| passedbody1 = Senate
| passeddate1 = September 19, 1985
| passedvote1 = 69–30
| passedbody2 = House
| passeddate2 = October 9, 1986
| passedvote2 = [[voice vote]] after incorporating {{USBill|99|HR|3810}}, passed 230–166
| conferencedate = October 14, 1986
| passedbody3 = House
| passeddate3 = October 15, 1986
| passedvote3 = [https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/99-1986/h872 238–173]
| passedbody4 = Senate
| passeddate4 = October 17, 1986
| passedvote4 = [https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/99-1986/s738 63–24]
| signedpresident = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| signeddate = November 6, 1986
| amendments = 
| SCOTUS cases = {{Ubl|framestyle=line-height:1em|''[[McNary v. Haitian Refugee Center, Inc.]]'', {{ussc|498|479|1991}}|''[[Reno v. Catholic Social Services, Inc.]]'', {{ussc|509|43|1993}}|''[[Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board]]'', {{ussc|535|137|2002}}|''[[Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting]]'', {{ussc|563|582|2011}}|''[[Arizona v. United States]]'', {{ussc|567|387|2012}}|''[[Kansas v. Garcia]]'', {{ussc|docket=17-834|volume=589|date=2020}}}}
}}

The '''Immigration Reform and Control Act''' ('''IRCA''' or the '''Simpson–Mazzoli Act''') was passed by the [[99th United States Congress]] and signed into law by [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] on November 6, 1986.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act legalized most undocumented immigrants who had arrived in the country prior to January 1, 1984. The act altered [[List of United States immigration laws|U.S. immigration law]] by making it illegal to knowingly hire [[Illegal immigration to the United States|undocumented immigrants]], and establishing financial and other penalties for companies that employed undocumented immigrants.

Nearly three million people applied for legalization under the IRCA.<ref name=":5" /> Through the update in the registry date along with the LAW and SAW programs enacted by IRCA, approximately 2.7 million people were ultimately approved for permanent residence.