E-Verify Bill Could Reverse Surge of Illegal Immigration in Massachusetts
E-Verify Bill Could Reverse Surge of Illegal Immigration in Massachusetts
By John Thompson, May 3rd, 2021
There is a bill in the state legislature that can reverse the surge of illegal immigration in Massachusetts.
The urgency of stopping illegal immigration has recently been dramatized by the rush at the Southern border, which is occurring partly because the Biden Administration will not secure our frontiers.
The piece of legislation in question would require employers to screen job applicants for eligibility to work in the United States by using E-Verify, which is a highly reliable, web-based system offered free of charge by the Federal government.
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This bill, “An act protecting Massachusetts workers” (temporary House docket number: HD1879) was introduced by Representative David F. DeCoste (R) of the 5th Plymouth District.
Thus far, two other Representatives, Bradley Jones (R) of the 20th Middlesex District and Michael Soter (R) of the 8th Worcester District, have joined in cosponsoring this bill.
Besides being an affront to the rule of law, illegal immigration is economically bad for the state and the country, and, more particularly, American citizens and lawful residents need E-Verify for protection from employers who would hire unauthorized foreign workers at substandard wages and working conditions.
Please note the following points:
- It is already illegal in Massachusetts to hire unauthorized foreign workers, but the present law is not enforced;
- E-Verify prevents employers from accepting forged or stolen documents;
- In the past decade, the number of illegal aliens in Massachusetts has risen faster than in any other state in the Union while real wages of low-paid workers have fallen more than any state;
- E-Verify is mandatory for the Federal government and all Federal contractors, but use by private employers is voluntary;
- At least 21 states have mandatory E-Verify and others are considering it;
- A Federal law mandating E-Verify has been introduced in the Congress, but it is unlikely to gain much support from the Democrat-controlled Congress or the Biden Administration;
- As the attached Rasmussen poll shows, E-Verify enjoys support across the political spectrum.
The campaign to build support for this bill will probably last for most of the 2021-22 legislative session.
At this early stage the main priorities should be 1) to raise awareness of this bill in key groups who are likely to be favorable to our cause and 2) to encourage other legislators to be sponsors.
For further information, visit https://www.masscir.com/.
John is the co-chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform.
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