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Friday, August 1, 2008
House approves extension of E-Verify
The House late Thursday approved a measure to extend a controversial federal program that allows businesses to check if their workers are in the United States legally.
The system — known as E-Verify — is set to expire in November.
The House bill - which passed 407 to 2, extends it for five years. E-Verify is currently voluntary in most states. Several proposals in Congress would make it mandatory.
Immigrant advocates, business groups and experts say that E-Verify relies on faulty databases and could lead to thousands of citizens being initially rejected for work.
But advocates of tougher enforcement praise E-Verify as a valuable tool to stop illegal immigration.
Rep. Brian Bilbray, a California Republican who heads the Immigration Reform Caucus, said Thursday that E-Verify “has proven to be incredibly effective in deterring illegal immigrants from finding jobs.”
He also said he is hopeful that E-Verify will soon be a requirement for all U.S. businesses.
“Making E-Verify mandatory will protect American workers and law-abiding businesses from the unfair competition created by a massive illegal workforce,” he said.
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