 By August 1977, the Carter administration reached a compromise plan to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the United States, Eastland, Attorney General Bell, and United States Secretary of Labor F. Ray Marshall agreeing to civil penalties up to $1,000 for offending employers.By September 1977, the seventy-three-year-old Eastland was considered for retirement, with discussions of Ted Kennedy assuming his position as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.In October 1977, Eastland was one of several influential Senators invited to meet with President Carter as the latter tried gaining support in the Senate for the Panama Canal treaties.