Anti-Immigrant Legislator Kicks Off Debate on Mandatory E-Verify

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) today kicked off debate on the Legal Workforce Act, legislation that would force all business owners to run employees through E-Verify, an error-ridden government database, to determine work authorization. Those who are erroneously flagged as unauthorized to work in the United States spend hours navigating governmental bureaucracies to amend their records or are terminated. Experts estimate that at least 770,000 workers will face termination if mandatory E-Verify efforts are not repealed. Below is a statement from Tyler Moran, policy director, National Immigration Law Center:

“Lamar Smith has dressed up his mass-deportation agenda as a jobs bill but the facts speak for themselves: E-Verify will force hundreds of thousands of American workers to wade through miles of red tape or, ultimately, lose their jobs.

“It is ironic that what Chairman Smith is proposing is in direct conflict with Republican leadership’s agenda of deregulation, job creation and keeping small businesses afloat. After this bill passes the committee, Speaker Boehner has a choice: he can go down Smith’s divisive path by advocating legislation that would ultimately lead to job loss in districts across the country, or, he can use these important moments in the Congressional calendar to focus on job creation.”

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