Opinion

June 12, 2011

E-Verify a help in hiring process

Laurel Leader-Call

LAUREL — Though the people have long demanded federal action to find workable solutions to combat illegal immigration, the federal government has continued its refusal to protect our national integrity.

In response, at least 15 states now require employers to utilize the E-Verify System as part of their hiring process.

Recently, in a case that has significant implications for illegal immigration enforcement at the state level, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting.

Before the Court was an Arizona immigration law (the Arizona Legal Workers Act), which requires every employer in that state, after hiring an employee, to verify the employment eligibility of the employee by using E–Verify. The law also provides that the licenses of state employers that knowingly or intentionally employ unauthorized aliens may be, and in certain circumstances must be, suspended or revoked.

Shortly after its implementation in 2007, open-border advocates sought to have the law declared unconstitutional, contending that the two primary provisions used to enforce the law are preempted by federal law.

By a vote of 5-3 the Supreme Court disagreed, finding that the Act “fits within the framework of existing state laws, doesn’t infringe on federal laws, and falls within the delegated authority of states.â€