Reagan signed off on the ONE-TIME amnesty deal of 1986, only after his demands for employer sanctions was agreed to by the Congress. The IRCA of 1986 is STILL the law of the land, and the one million dollar fines can STILL be enforced against employers who hire illegals. Ted Kennedy didn't like the employer sanction provision and began to systematically underfund it, leading to 20 years of liberal immigration policies under Bush41, Clinton and Bush43.
No President can know how his SCOTUS appointmets will turn out. Just ask Ike about Earl Warren and Nixon about Warren Burger. Reagan's nominees/appointments included conservatives Robert Bork, Antonin Scalia, William Reinquist and Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy received endorsements from all the major national right to life organizations, and anti-crime LE groups. SD O'Conner was a moderate jurist when Reagan appointed her. Reagan probably shouldn't have listened to Meese and Shultz to pick O'Conner.
After 10-20 years on the high court, Bush`s picks of Roberts and Alito can be properly judged in historic content. Not now.