Rep. Calvert Publicly Criticizes California’s Recent E-Verify Ban

On October 9, 2011 California Governor Jerry Brown signed three bills aimed at supporting illegal aliens, including AB 1236, a measure that outlaws E-Verify in the state of California. Many Californians have expressed frustration over the bill and Congressman Ken Calvert is one of them.

“Right now, across America, various states and local governments are enacting mandatory E-Verify. Meanwhile, California is going the other way by enacting a ban on voluntary E-Verify, and in fact the Governor is signing laws to preempt the use of E-Verify. This is an outrage,” said Congressman Ken Calvert who serves California’s 44th district and is the original author of E-Verify.

E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

AB 1236 prevents municipalities from passing their own E-Verify legislation and Representative Calvert believes this could lead to an increase in illegal aliens coming to California.

“The illegal population looking for work will now head to states that are ignoring the problem and away from states like Arizona and Alabama which have taken a proactive role to fill the vacuum the federal government has left with regard to immigration policy.

“People will understandably go where they can find work. However, in a state with 12.1% unemployment, we cannot afford the burden on our schools and social services the influx brings.

“The United States needs a uniform system that ensures ALL workers in America are legal and paying into the system that they are using. That is why I support and am a sponsor of H.R. 2885, the Legal Workforce Act.”

Lamar Smith’s H.R 2885, the Legal Workforce Act, which would make E-Verify mandatory in all 50 states, has been referred to the House Committee on Ways & Means.