The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was enacted in 1986 in the United States to address issues related to illegal immigration. It aimed to strengthen border security and introduced penalties for employers who knowingly hired undocumented workers. The law also provided a pathway to legal status for certain undocumented immigrants who had been living in the U.S. since before 1982. IRCA was significant because it marked the first time the U.S. government attempted to regulate both immigration enforcement and the labor market. By granting amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants, it sought to balance humanitarian concerns with the need for immigration control.