I just remember his amnesty basically starting to destroy the foundation of American immigration policy.
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The Immigration Reform and Control Act altered U.S. immigration law by making it illegal to hire illegal immigrants knowingly and establishing financial and other penalties for companies that employed illegal immigrants. The act also legalized most undocumented immigrants who had arrived in the country prior to January 1, 1982.Nearly three million people applied for legalization under the IRCA.[7]
There were two groups of applicants. Aliens who had been unlawfully residing in the United States since before January 1, 1982 (pre-1982 immigrants) were legalized under Section 245A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) while Aliens employed in seasonal agricultural work for a minimum of 90 days in the year prior to May, 1986 (SAWs) were legalized under Section 210A of the INA. Nearly 2.7 million people were ultimately approved for permanent residence.
Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Reform_and_Control_Act_of_1986