E-Verify

Position

No one will benefit more than employers from an immigration overhaul that restores the rule of the law in the workplace. The overwhelming majority of employers want to be on the right side of the law - it's their obligation as citizens, and it makes good business sense. ImmigrationWorks strongly supports effective workplace enforcement as a centerpiece of comprehensive immigration reform.

Employers need the federal government to provide them with the means to verify employees' identities and work authorization by comparing workers' identity documents with information in federal databases - either an improved E-Verify system or a similar program that achieves the same end.

The program must be timely, efficient and accurate. It should be phased in on a realistic timetable and as part of a broader reform package that provides employers with a legal supply of the foreign workers they need to sustain and grow their businesses.

E-Verify has the makings of such a system, but it needs improvement. Before the federal government considers mandating it for all employers, DHS must improve the program’s tentative non-confirmation error rates, reduce delays and improve procedures for secondary screening. In the meantime, Congress should continue to reauthorize E-Verify on a voluntary basis.

ImmigrationWorks opposes efforts by state and local governments to mandate E-Verify in their jurisdictions. The inevitable result - a conflicting patchwork of local laws - is confusing for employers and immigrants, impedes commerce and may be unconstitutional.

RESOURCES

Institute for the Study of International Migration, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, "Worksite Solutions To Unauthorized Immigration," October 2007.

U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Employment Verification: Challenges Exist in Implementing a Mandatory Electronic Employment Verification System," June 2008.

Immigration Policy Center, "Deciphering The Numbers On E-Verify's Accuracy," February 2009.

Migration Policy Institute, "Eligible To Work? Experiments In Verifying Work Authorization," November 2005.

National Immigration Law Center, "Facts About Basic Pilot/E-Verify," October 2008.

Other Resources

E-Verify Bookshelf

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