Initial effects of the new immigration law on California agriculture

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 prohibits the employment of persons not legally entitled to work in the United States. It imposes on all employers new hiring and record-keeping obligations, with stiff fines for noncompliance. It creates a means of obtaining legal resident status, particularly for “special agricultural workers” (SAWS) employed during 1985-86 in fruits, vegetables, and other perishable commodities specified by the Secretary of Agriculture.