A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that Arizona's illegal aliens population declined after the state passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act in 2007 that required all businesses to use E-Verify.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement hosted a hearing Thursday morning on the merits of E-Verify and its capability to protect American jobs from illegal workers. The Committee conducted a demonstration of the E-Verify where it made its case as a quick, easy, and user-friendly program for determining the employment eligibility of a new employee. But that didn't keep some of the more skeptical Members from offering their opposition.
Hundreds of state legislators across the country this winter are trying to put their unemployed residents back to work by passing mandatory E-Verify laws. Their main obstacle is business lobbyists claiming such laws would "burden" employers, and that federal courts might overturn the laws. As you help these E-Verify efforts in your states, please read NumbersUSA's legal brief on why the business lobbyists are wrong. . . .
The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on E-Verify included some happy news (E-Verify is more accurate than ever) and some disappointing news (ICE's misplaced priorities). I was also disappointed in some of the things the report did not include. Here are some highlights from the report and my response. . .
Perhaps the most amazing part of the suit by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is its claim that Arizona doesn't have the right to pull the business license of an employer that refuses to use E-Verify. Our amicus brief to the Supreme Court provides our own take on the fact that federal law specifically mentions license revocation as something states CAN do. Take a look . . .
NumbersUSA was happy to oppose the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in this case that the Supreme Court will decide over the next few weeks. Read here the outline of our "amicus" presentation to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the state of Arizona's law requiring all employers to use E-Verify to keep illegal aliens from holding jobs sought by unemployed Americans. Nothing is more central to the immigration debate this year than mandatory E-Verify. And the biggest part of that probably will be efforts in the states.
Rhode Island Governor-elect Lincoln Chafee said that one of his first actions in office will be to rescind an executive order that requires state agencies and vendors to use E-Verify. However a fact-check by the Providence Journal shows Chafee hasn't done his homework.
I just got off a nationally syndicated radio show with the reporter who wrote the expose released today by the Nation magazine suggesting that several illegal aliens have been working at Lou Dobbs farm. But the reporter acknowledged that Dobbs himself may not have employed the illegal workers. A complicated story that reinforces the need for mandatory verification procedures throughout our economy.
Once again Pres. Obama has shown that he considers immigration to be primarily a game of political calculation rather than an issue that deeply affects how many millions of U.S. workers must remain unemployed. His renewed call for massive numbers of work permits for foreign workers is an incredible slap in the face to the 25 million Americans who want a full-time job but cannot find one. Let me pull out just a few of outrageous statements that the President made today and suggest you what they mean.
