required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status;
made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants knowingly;
legalized certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants, and;
legalized illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously with the penalty of a fine, back taxes due, and admission of guilt; candidates were required to prove that they were not guilty of crimes, that they were in the country before January 1, 1982, and that they possessed minimal knowledge about U.S. history, government, and the English language.
The amnesty act was NOT automatic - those seeking to avail themselves of its provisions had to file the paperwork, take the written citizenship test, attend a personal interview, and get sworn in by an appropriate official. (And of course, pay fees at several steps.) If these dudes never did the paperwork, they aren’t citizens, they are illegals. And they need to take their drunken brawls and domestic violence to the other side of the wall.