Immigration and international relations

This report presents the proceedings of a conference on the International Effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in May 1989. Sponsored by The RAND Corporation and The Urban Institute, the conference was attended by scholars and public officials from Mexico, the United States, and Canada who addressed the effects of IRCA in four areas: illegal immigration, U.S.-Mexico relations, Mexico, and the West Indies and inter-American relations. Each area was the basis of a working session whose presentations and discussions are summarized in the report. Also included are opening and closing speeches and 11 of the resource papers that were presented at the working sessions. The conference was part of the ongoing Program for Research on Immigration Policy, which was established by the two host organizations to provide analysis that will help inform policies on immigration and immigrants.