Immigration law applies to Illinois?

Comply with immigration laws? Not if Illinois has a say. If you follow federal immigration laws, Illinois will punish you.

This is the message Gov. Blagojevich and the state legislature are sending to business owners across our state. Under a new state law, Illinois employers would be prohibited from voluntarily enrolling in any employment eligibility verification system to ensure that their employees are legal.

I believe this law is bad for our nation, and quite rightly so does the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These agencies are so concerned about this that they filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn it.

Against our best interests, the law recently signed by Gov. Blagojevich prohibits Illinois employers from enrolling in a free and voluntary federal program called E-Verify (formally know as Basic Pilot). This online system allows employers to check whether a new worker's Social Security number is valid and matches the identity of the person who claims to hold it. This easy to use system is currently the best way to check to see if prospective employees are authorized to work in our country. Presently, more than 800 companies in Illinois are voluntarily enrolled, with more than 23,000 enrolled nationwide.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff recently said: "The state of Illinois has now made it illegal to comply with federal law. That's not acceptable as a matter of the Constitution and it's not acceptable as a matter of our discharging our federal obligation to enforce the immigration laws."

I wholeheartedly agree. As I have stated many times, immigration reform begins at the border. One of the best ways to discourage illegal immigrants from crossing our borders is to remove the magnets that have attracted millions to break our laws and enter our country. Employers must have the tools to comply with this federal law in order to be held accountable for who they hire.

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam
Wheaton
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