Lamar Smith: “Congress should include an E-Verify employment eligibility verification program in any immigration reform package.…”

“Congress should include an E-Verify employment eligibility verification program in any immigration reform package. E-Verify is the most effective deterrent to illegal immigration because it shuts off the jobs magnet and saves jobs for hardworking Americans. It is no surprise that E-Verify receives the most public support--82 percent--of any proposed immigration reform. The E-Verify legislation, the Legal Workforce Act, approved by the Judiciary Committee, has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and immigration enforcement groups. It provides employers with an efficient and workable system to verify their employees' work status, and the requirement for employers to verify their workers only applies to new employees, not existing workers. Members should hesitate to support any immigration reform package that does not include requiring employers to use E-Verify. Congress should put the interests of American workers first. ____________________”