d, apprehended, and returned illegal immigrants to Mexico, who then again illegally entered the United States to start the process all over once again. With the implementation of the Immigration Control Reform Act of 1986, the federal government of the United States formally recognized in law that illegal immigration to this country could be better controlled through penalizing American employers who hired undocumented aliens.4 By penalizing American employers who hire undocumented aliens, the federal government in the United States effectively reduces the work opportunities for illegal immigrants in this country.5
Although the Immigration Control Reform Act of 1986 was signed into law in November 1986, sanctions against American employers hiring undocumented aliens were not enforced until May 1988.6 Thus, in 1992, the Immigration Control Reform Act of 1986 has had its major provisions enforced for only four years.
4D. Hensley, "The Impacts of Immigration Reform on the California Economy," Labor Law Journal, 40 (August 1989): 527 535.
Although some data related to the effects of the Act on labor in the United States are now available, the type and extent of these effects on farm labor remains largely speculative.
When considering the potential effects of the Immigration Control Reform Act of 1986 on farm labor contracts in California, one must first establish that California will likely feel the effects of the Act any more than other border states. The Census Bureau estimates that approximately one half of all of the illegal immigrants residing in the United States are in California.7 Because of California's proximity to Mexico, most of the illegal immigrants in California are from Mexico. The Census Bureau estimates that 6.6 percent of the working age population in California was born in Mexico, and
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