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US President and Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan addresses the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Dallas on August 23, 1984.

The last time Congress passed a major immigration bill, one of its goals was to stop the flow of undocumented migrants across the border. Instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect as illegal immigration surged.

Today, the legacy of that 1986 bill is a critical part of the immigration debate. Fronteras Desk reporter Adrian Florido has the story.