If President Joe Biden is serious about his “Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers” executive order, he should get behind a renewed congressional effort to bar illegal aliens from taking jobs in the U.S. workforce.
A bill sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would mandate that all U.S. businesses use the E-Verify employment screening database. The free online vetting program attacks illegal immigration at its source by checking new hires for their legal status to work in this country.
Grassley’s bill also requires employers to screen existing workers to prevent illegal aliens from being “grandfathered in.” The Pew Research Center estimated that 7.6 million illegal aliens were employed in the U.S. in 2019.
FAIR noted that E-Verify has proven “incredibly effective” wherever it is used. A study of seven participating states found the arrival of illegal aliens fell nearly 50 percent in states where employers were required to use the vetting system.
In a related move to tackle identity theft in illegal employment, Grassley’s legislation directs the Social Security Administration track and crack down on multiple uses of the same Social Security numbers.
Still, Grassley’s S. 71 faces an uphill climb on Capitol Hill. A similar bill never made it out of committee in 2019, when Republicans held majorities in the House and Senate. Democrats – who now control both chambers – have not signed on to this year’s measure.
Biden has an opportunity here to lead his party and make good on his executive order to “help America’s workers thrive.” If he truly intends to achieve that goal, E-Verify is a solid place to assert his leadership.
“Expanding [E-Verify] to every workplace will improve accountability for all businesses and take an important step toward putting American workers first,” Grassley said in a statement.
A weekly survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows that more than 7-in-10 likely voters, including Hispanic voters, agree that mandatory E-Verify should become law to protect the U.S. workforce.
