Author Description

Among many other provisions, the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act forbade employers to hire illegal aliens, and established a public information and regulatory apparatus both to help employers comply with the law and to detect and punish violators. This study examines the implementation of these key provisions of the act. The authors conclude that the first three years of implementation achieved the initial objectives of employer sanctions-in particular the objective of educating employers about the law's provisions. But the future stability of the program is threatened by a number of factors, including a low level of enforcement that could lead employers to discount the sanctions threat.