The verification system established by the law was as follows: Under the law, employers could use the act of having made an attempt to verify an individual's work status as an affirmative defense against allegations of violations of this provision. Employers were required to verify whether new hires were authorized to work in the country and made it illegal to continue to employ a person once aware of his or her unauthorized work status. It also made it illegal for an individual to use fraudulent entry or work documents. The Immigration Reform and Control Act made it unlawful for any employer to knowingly hire or recruit any individual unauthorized to work in the United States. President Ronald Reagan (R) signed the legislation into law on November 6, 1986. S 1200 was then moved to conference committee the House agreed to the conference report 238-173 on October 15, 1986, and the Senate agreed 63-24 two days later. The Senate disagreed to the House amendments by a voice vote. The House passed an amended version of the bill via a voice vote on October 9, 1986. Its stated purpose was to 'revise and reform the immigration laws, and for other purposes.' The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69-30 on September 19, 1985. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was introduced as S 1200 in the United States Senate by Senator Alan Simpson (R-Wy.) on May 23, 1985. The bill failed to pass in both the 97th Congress and the 98th Congress. In March 1982, Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) and Representative Romano Mazzoli (D-KY), who had both been Commission members, introduced the first versions of IRCA (also known as the 'Simpson-Mazzoli Act') in Congress. Soon after, President Reagan announced that he would back an immigration compromise modeled on the Hesburgh Commission recommendations.

In February 1981, the Hesburgh Commission made a series of recommendations including the enactment of penalties on employers who hired unauthorized immigrants, a one-time amnesty for unauthorized immigrants, and a modest increase in legal immigration.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the commission's recommendations led to the introduction of the Immigration Reform and Control Act: “ In 1978, Congress passed a bill establishing the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy (also known as the Hesburgh Commission) to study federal immigration policy and make recommendations for changes to the system.

1986 the act