The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 resulted in 2.8 million illegal aliens being given amnesty and admitted as legal immigrants into the United States.

Between 700,000 and 800,000 illegal immigrants enter the United States each year (according to year 2000 Census Bureau data).

Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) of 1986

For over 200 years, the United states had only granted amnesty to illegal immigrants on a case by case basis. America had always refrained from giving blanket amnesty to large numbers of illegal immigrants. This all changed on November 6, 1986, when an Amnesty Bill known as The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, was signed into law by President Ronald Wilson Reagan. This Amnesty Bill granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, who had been residing in the United States prior to January 1, 1982. This Amnesty Bill provided a path towards legal citizenship for many illegal immigrants. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 is also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act. This act also made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants and stipulated that employers validate their employee's immigration status.