Legislator Proposes Crackdown on Illegal Immigration in New Jersey
By Gloucester County (N.J.) Times
2/21/2008

A top state Democrat said he will introduce legislation to penalize New Jersey businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney said his proposal aims to "put up a stop sign for illegals who undermine family, educational and health care support systems."

"Companies that knowingly hire illegals are destroying job opportunities for the working men and women of New Jersey," said Sweeney, D-3, of West Deptford. "The practice has to be stopped."

The measure would require New Jersey businesses to verify the legal status of employees. Violations of the law would be penalized by a 10-day suspension of the business license for the first offense and permanent revocation of the license for the second.

If passed, New Jersey would become the second state in the nation to enact such legislation. According the National Conference of State Legislatures, Arizona mandates the federal work authorization database E-Verify, which was formerly known as Basic Pilot. The Arizona law was recently upheld by a federal judge who rejected claims that Arizona had assumed the federal government's role of regulating immigration. The court ruled that the state had the right to regulate business.

Immigration advocates said Friday that enacting an authorization system in New Jersey would penalize illegal immigrants, many with little ability to achieve citizenship.

"It's taking us down a really dangerous path in creating deep division in our communities," said Amy Gottlieb, director of the Immigrant Rights Program at the Newark-based American Friends Service Committee. "It always comes back to the need for immigration reform at the federal level.

"Putting pressure on the federal government does not have to come at the expense of workers and communities," Gottlieb added.

Shai Goldstein, executive director of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, said that he would welcome a debate about immigration policy with Sweeney, but declined comment on this legislation.

"We haven't seen the bill but would welcome the opportunity to discuss it," Goldstein said.

Last year, at a time when immigration reform was being debated nationwide, Gov. Jon S. Corzine formed a blue ribbon panel to make recommendations for integrating the state's illegal immigrants.

"I would trust that the panel would also review the bill," Goldstein added.

In 2007, 1,562 immigration-related bills were introduced in all 50 states; 240 laws were enacted in 46 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Employment laws accounted for 33 measures in 19 states, including those which disallow tax deductions or workers' compensation for undocumented employees.

Sweeney said that his proposal aims to quell a problem in New Jersey. Employers are getting away with circumventing the legal hiring process, he said.

"They're cheating the system and driving the costs up for everyone else," he said.

Sweeney's bill is expected to be introduced next week with the intent that it would take effect by year's end
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