Senator Alan Simpson, Co-sponsor of Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 Dies at 93

 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Former Senator (R-Wyoming, 1970-97) Alan Simpson, co-sponsor of Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), has died at 93.  IRCA is the last piece of what might be characterized as comprehensive immigration reform.  The Migration Policy Institute discusses IRCA's legacy on its 25th anniversary in 2011 here.  See also here.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act , also known as the Simpson–Mazzoli Act after its bipartisan sponsors, Simpson and Congressman Romano Mazzoli (D-Ky)) was passed and signed into law by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

IRCA included amnesty programs for undocumented immigrants and employer sanctions, which generally prohibited the employment of undocumented immigrants.  It continues to generate mixed reviews, with employer sanctions having proven to be difficult to enforce and any "amnesty" for undocumented immigrants today unpopular in Republican circles.

Then-President Joe Biden presented Simpson, his former Senate colleague, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

KJ