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The Contradictions of Immigration Lawmaking: The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Author(s) -
CALAVITA KITTY
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9930.1989.tb00019.x
Subject(s) - lawmaking , immigration , immigration reform , legislation , sanctions , context (archaeology) , control (management) , political science , immigration law , dialectic , political economy , labour economics , law , economics , legislature , management , paleontology , philosophy , epistemology , biology
This paper argues that the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 is a composite of contradictory measures. On one hand, employer sanctions are meant to curtail the employment of undocumented workers and preserve the U.S. labor market for legal residents and citizens; on the other hand, special foreign worker programs are designed to enhance the supply of immigrant workers. In an effort to make sense of these contradictions, the author places the legislation in historical context and proposes a dialectical model of immigration policymaking.