Updated: 06/19/15
Democratic Convention:
Month
July
Day
25
Year
2016
Reduce competition from, and enticement for,
ILLEGAL WORK FORCE
ILLEGAL WORK FORCE
Mandate E-Verify-plus,
punish business violators
No single immigration enforcement action will open up more jobs for Americans than enacting an "E-Verify-plus" law that requires every employer to use E-verify to keep illegal migrants and other unauthorized foreign citizens from taking construction, manufacturing, technical and service jobs. Ratings are based on support for that and also for requirements that root out identity theft and fraud.
punish business violators
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
No single immigration enforcement action will open up more jobs for Americans than enacting an "E-Verify-plus" law that requires every employer to use E-verify to keep illegal migrants and other unauthorized foreign citizens from taking construction, manufacturing, technical and service jobs. Ratings are based on support for that and also for requirements that root out identity theft and fraud.
Prevent illegal border
entries & surges
More than half of the millions of U.S. jobs that Americans are denied are held by foreign citizens who crossed our borders illegally. Candidates are rated on their commitment to implementing border-security laws already passed by Congress and on their specific promises about increasing judges to rapidly turn back surges, and about fencing, manpower and equipment for operational control of the borders.
entries & surges
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
More than half of the millions of U.S. jobs that Americans are denied are held by foreign citizens who crossed our borders illegally. Candidates are rated on their commitment to implementing border-security laws already passed by Congress and on their specific promises about increasing judges to rapidly turn back surges, and about fencing, manpower and equipment for operational control of the borders.
Implement Interior
Enforcement
Many of the millions of illegal workers have been rewarded and encouraged to stay in the U.S. because successive Presidents have refused to enforce laws already on the books (a) that penalize sanctuary cities and states that fail to cooperate with immigration officials, and (b) that penalize states and localities that break federal law in providing in-state tuition, driver's licenses and other benefits to illegal workers. We also rate candidates on their plans for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax incentives that are powerful magnets to draw and keep illegal workers in this country.
Enforcement
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
Many of the millions of illegal workers have been rewarded and encouraged to stay in the U.S. because successive Presidents have refused to enforce laws already on the books (a) that penalize sanctuary cities and states that fail to cooperate with immigration officials, and (b) that penalize states and localities that break federal law in providing in-state tuition, driver's licenses and other benefits to illegal workers. We also rate candidates on their plans for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax incentives that are powerful magnets to draw and keep illegal workers in this country.
Finish entry-exit system to
track visa overstays
Successive Presidents have refused to implement the law requiring a computerized, bio-metric check-in/check-out system that should be used by the government to track every foreign citizen who enters the U.S. by air, sea or land and to be aware the day that foreign visitors fail to check-out by the exit date on their visa. Visa overstayers account for nearly half the U.S. jobs that are filled by illegal aliens.
track visa overstays
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
Successive Presidents have refused to implement the law requiring a computerized, bio-metric check-in/check-out system that should be used by the government to track every foreign citizen who enters the U.S. by air, sea or land and to be aware the day that foreign visitors fail to check-out by the exit date on their visa. Visa overstayers account for nearly half the U.S. jobs that are filled by illegal aliens.
End automatic birthright
citizenship
Hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens are given lifetime U.S. work visas every year through the practice of granting automatic citizenship to every birth to a tourist, visiting student, temporary worker or illegal alien. Although they obviously don't immediately begin competing for jobs, they eventually do. In the short-term, these children of foreign citizens harm American workers because they are used to excuse their parents' illegal presence here, allowing many to continue to illegally hold U.S. jobs and creating pressure to give the parents amnesty and lifetime work permits to compete with any American for any job.
citizenship
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
Hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens are given lifetime U.S. work visas every year through the practice of granting automatic citizenship to every birth to a tourist, visiting student, temporary worker or illegal alien. Although they obviously don't immediately begin competing for jobs, they eventually do. In the short-term, these children of foreign citizens harm American workers because they are used to excuse their parents' illegal presence here, allowing many to continue to illegally hold U.S. jobs and creating pressure to give the parents amnesty and lifetime work permits to compete with any American for any job.
Prevent competition from
AMNESTIED WORKERS
AMNESTIED WORKERS
Oppose work permits for
illegal immigrants
Regardless of what candidates may think about the use of deportations to re-establish the rule of law in our immigration system, we are rating them on their commitments about whether they will force Americans to compete in the legal job market with millions of foreign citizens who are in the United States illegally.
illegal immigrants
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
Regardless of what candidates may think about the use of deportations to re-establish the rule of law in our immigration system, we are rating them on their commitments about whether they will force Americans to compete in the legal job market with millions of foreign citizens who are in the United States illegally.
Reduce unfair competition from
FUTURE IMMIGRANT WORKERS
FUTURE IMMIGRANT WORKERS
Support overall reduction in
annual immigration
The most recent bi-partisan federal commission on immigration recommended cutting annual numbers of legal immigration to half the current level in order to protect the jobs and wages for America's most vulnerable workers. It is the flow of legal immigration that is the most harmful to American workers because it adds far more workers to compete for jobs and wages than does illegal immigration. Because every legal immigrant gets a lifetime work permit, the offer of immigration should always be considered very seriously in terms of whether it will make it harder for American workers to gain a job or wage increase.
annual immigration
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
The most recent bi-partisan federal commission on immigration recommended cutting annual numbers of legal immigration to half the current level in order to protect the jobs and wages for America's most vulnerable workers. It is the flow of legal immigration that is the most harmful to American workers because it adds far more workers to compete for jobs and wages than does illegal immigration. Because every legal immigrant gets a lifetime work permit, the offer of immigration should always be considered very seriously in terms of whether it will make it harder for American workers to gain a job or wage increase.
End chain migration
The No. 1 cause of the quadrupling of the number of legal immigrants obtaining lifetime work permits has been new chain-migration categories that allow each immigrant to petition for certain adult relatives, each of whom can petition for their relatives, creating a virtually endless chain of migration into the future. We rate candidates on how much chain migration they recommend eliminating and what they would do with the current backlog.
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
The No. 1 cause of the quadrupling of the number of legal immigrants obtaining lifetime work permits has been new chain-migration categories that allow each immigrant to petition for certain adult relatives, each of whom can petition for their relatives, creating a virtually endless chain of migration into the future. We rate candidates on how much chain migration they recommend eliminating and what they would do with the current backlog.
Protect against unfair
work-visa competition
The government should institute safeguards that will prevent importation of specific foreign workers for specific kinds of visas and jobs any time that would threaten the jobs or depress the wages of American workers in those occupations. Employment-based visas (lifetime and temporary) should be issued only after a job has been posted nationally on the internet for Americans to apply. And the process should be transparent so the public can see which employers are filling which jobs with foreign workers.
work-visa competition
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
The government should institute safeguards that will prevent importation of specific foreign workers for specific kinds of visas and jobs any time that would threaten the jobs or depress the wages of American workers in those occupations. Employment-based visas (lifetime and temporary) should be issued only after a job has been posted nationally on the internet for Americans to apply. And the process should be transparent so the public can see which employers are filling which jobs with foreign workers.
End visa lottery
The government should stop using a lottery to raffle off lifetime work permits to tens of thousands of randomly chosen foreign citizens each year. These work permits are given out without regard to whether a foreign worker has a skill that is needed by this country and without any consideration to the effect on the employment and wages of American workers.
(CLICK TO READ FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF RATING CRITERIA)
The government should stop using a lottery to raffle off lifetime work permits to tens of thousands of randomly chosen foreign citizens each year. These work permits are given out without regard to whether a foreign worker has a skill that is needed by this country and without any consideration to the effect on the employment and wages of American workers.
Joe
Biden (DEM)
Biden (DEM)
Mixed
Very Harmful
Abysmal
Very Harmful
Unhelpful
Abysmal
Abysmal
Harmful
Very Harmful
Mixed
Biden
Tell Joe Biden he can do better on immigration:
Rating Sources
Instructions
Click on individual ratings to view quotes and other source materials for that rating.
Mandate E-Verify-plus
- We have not been able to locate any comments made by Vice President Biden regarding the E-Verify system. However, Biden did back the Gang of Eight's 2013 amnesty legislation. This legislation, while helpful in that it mandated use of the E-Verify system, did not require 100% of employers to use it, had no enforcement mechanism, and did not contain triggers.
Prevent illegal border entries & surges
- While Vice President Biden initially addressed the border surge by saying, "It will not be open arms. We're going to hold hearings with our judges, consistent with international law and American law, and we're going to send the vast majority of you back," he has done nothing to follow up on these remarks. Biden has been a part of an administration that has addressed the surge by continuing to prevent DHS agents from fulfilling their duties and that has refused to follow the law by completing the border fence. Furthermore, Biden supported the Gang of Eight amnesty that, if passed, would have weakened border security. Source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/joe-bidens-empty-threat-wont-halt-flood-of-immigrants/article/2550092
Implement Congress-mandated enforcement & disincentives
- Vice President Biden is part of an administration that has gutted the 287(g) program and stopped deportations from jails. In addition, as a member of the U.S. Senate, Biden opposed efforts to defund sanctuary cities, supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens, and voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal aliens.
Finish entry-exit system to track visa overstays
- Vice President Biden is a member of a presidential administration that has refused to implement a biometric entry/exit system at all ports of entry, as required by Congress. Furthermore, Biden supported the Gang of Eight amnesty which weakened current law by only requiring the implementation of an entry/exit system at certain points of entry.
End automatic birthright citizenship
- Vice President Biden did not act to end birthright citizenship while in Congress and we have not found examples of him supporting its elimination.
Oppose work permits for illegal immigrants
- Vice President Biden is a member of an administration that issued work permits to illegal aliens and he supported the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill: "You know, 11 million people live in the shadows. I believe they’re already American citizens." The vice president told a group of young illegal aliens: "You’re not going to have to worry about anything,” the vice president said. “And your parents are not going to have to worry about getting deported." Sources: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/28/joe-biden-illegal-immigrants-are-already-american-/ and http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/biden-immigration-reform-boehner
Support overall reduction in annual immigration
- Vice President Biden supported the 2013 Gang of Eight amnesty legislation and called for a "constant, unrelenting stream” of new immigrants — “not dribbling [but] significant flows" of new immigrants, adding "We need it badly." Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/11/joe-biden-us-needs-constant-unrelenting-stream-imm/
End chain migration
- While Vice President Biden supported the Gang of Eight amnesty legislation that substantially reduced chain migration in the long-term, the legislation also provided for a chain migration explosion in the initial years after passage. Furthermore, this was not a vote specifically on reducing or increasing chain migration and Biden has not addressed this issue.
Protect against unfair work-visa competition
- Vice President Biden has an "F" career foreign worker-reduction grade from NumbersUSA and has called for a "constant, unrelenting stream” of new immigrants, “not dribbling [but] significant flows." Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/11/joe-biden-us-needs-constant-unrelenting-stream-imm/
End visa lottery
- Vice President Biden voted to create the lottery and voted to save the lottery and we have not been able to locate a statement by Biden that indicates he has changed his views. However, Biden backed the Gang of Eight amnesty that eliminated the visa lottery, showing he is open to compromise when it comes to the lottery.