Thread: Should Idaho Employers Use E-Verify?

As you know, we have been trying to get Senator Jorgenson's employer enforcement bill passed this year, but State Affairs Committee Chairman Curt McKenzie refuses to let the bill be heard. Here's his arguement against the bill below Senator Jorgenson's statements. You can comment at the link.

Pro & Con: Should Idaho require employers to use E-Verify?
Yes: It will enforce existing laws and protect employers. No: It's expensive, inaccurate, and erodes our liberty.

BY MICHAEL JORGENSON BY CURT MCKENZIE - Idaho Statesman
Published: 04/05/09


Comments (2) | Recommend (0)Yes: It will enforce existing laws and protect employers.

Recently I introduced a proposed bill to the Senate's State Affairs Committee that, if ultimately enacted into law, would compel Idaho's businesses to use the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify online computer program to confirm prospective new employees are legally entitled to accept employment in Idaho.

Newspaper articles abound with reports of any number of illegal workers who use false or fake ID in order to obtain employment and then become a burden on society. Online comments to these articles, including in this newspaper, show the breath and depth of public anger on this issue.

While the Senate State Affairs Committee will not grant the bill hearings during this legislative session, no one should believe this issue will soon go away. A Rasmussen poll published March 18 shows 68 percent of Americans want employers who hire illegal aliens to be punished.

My desire to see this legislation enacted stems exclusively from the skyrocketing costs that are directly the result of unfettered illegal immigration into this state. My critics, and opponents of "enforcement-minded" legislators, repeatedly attack virtually every aspect of legislation which calls for mandatory use of E-Verify, calling it unreliable and onerous on businesses.

There are also the never-far-behind arguments that citizens and legal immigrants do not want these jobs and that costs will rise, causing ag and other industry businesses to fail.

However, the costs to the taxpayers of Idaho due to the employment of illegal aliens are what are clearly onerous. I have statistics from Idaho agencies and departments which demonstrate the annual costs to Idaho's taxpayers due to illegal immigration are no less than $100 million and could easily be $200 million. Annually.

What I am advocating is enforcement of existing laws, requiring Idaho's employers to effectively check the employment status of their prospective employees and to be penalized if they do not. First infraction, loss of license for three days; second infraction, loss of license for 10 days and third infraction, loss of business license.

E-Verify is the tailor-made solution for businesses to avoid these infractions and to protect themselves against fraudulent documents. E-Verify is a free computer program created more than a decade ago. Its rate of accuracy has been much maligned, but statistics indicate it is accurate at least 95 percent of the time.

More tellingly, the percentage of mismatched prospective employees who needed to seek clarified employment status is tiny; exactly 0.5 percent or one-half of 1 percent.

Signing up and using E-Verify for the very first time has been physically demonstrated to me as taking approximately 7 minutes. The checking of any prospective employees thereafter should take less than 5 seconds. In fact, more than 93 percent of all nationwide checks take less than 5 seconds.

Use of the program indemnifies employers in the event it is later found the program was in error. It protects employers and is a leading tool in the fight to curtail identity theft.

I have been called many things for my support of this bill. I have even been called "quixotic" for my unflagging desire to enforce existing employment laws. My friends, Idaho is suffering from this recession. School budgets are being cut. Men and women are out of work. It is the Legislature's responsibility to ensure its citizens and legal immigrants employment opportunities come before those of illegal foreign nationals in Idaho.

Michael Jorgenson of Hayden Lake is a Republican state senator.


No: It's expensive, inaccurate, and erodes our liberty.

Since I have held public office, I have supported legislation to stop the tide of illegal immigration into our nation and our state. I voted for Senate Joint Memorial 111 in 2005, requesting the federal government to improve its immigration controls. In 2007, I voted for Senate Bill 1172, making English our official state language, and SB 1157, which required that all individuals show verification of citizenship before they receive public benefits. In 2008, I voted for House Bill 366, which prohibits the issuance of driver's licenses to people not lawfully present in the United States.

My record speaks for itself. Therefore, I was surprised and saddened by those who assumed that I do not care about the issue just because I am not a fan of mandating use of the federal employment eligibility verification system (often called "E-Verify" or "EEV").

This session I voted for and debated on behalf of House Joint Memorial 4, which affirms the constitutional limits of federal power under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But, according to the Cato Institute (a well-known libertarian think tank), E-Verify expands federal intrusion in our lives.

It would cause law-abiding U.S. citizens to lose more of their privacy as government records about them grew and were converted to untold new purposes. "Mission creep" would use an EEV system to extend federal regulatory control over Americans' lives even further (Cato Institute, Policy Analysis No. 612).

E-Verify has many other problems. For one thing, it is expensive. The nonpolitical Congressional Budget Office estimated that E-Verify would cost taxpayers more than $40 billion over 10 years. Furthermore, E-Verify is not as accurate as some claim.

In January 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that the "error rate was almost 10 percent for foreign-born citizens. E-Verify's vulnerability to identify fraud is also problematic." A study by the Social Security Administration revealed a 4.1 percent error rate in data used to administer the Basic Pilot program, now renamed E-Verify. According to the Cato Institute, E-Verify "would have substantial costs yet still fail to prevent illegal immigration" (Policy Analysis No. 612).

Moreover, we do not even know how long E-Verify will be around. The Wall Street Journal reported that E-Verify "is technically on life support" and could be canceled altogether. Last month, President Obama, a fan of the national identification program, extended E-Verify through September 2009, but there is no guarantee that it will be renewed.

E-Verify is not the only solution to the problem of employment of illegal immigrants. As chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee, I held hearings on two bills: one mandating use of E-Verify by all employers and one which allows use of other identification tools. As we head toward the end of another record-long session, I have committed to hold full hearings on both bills in the next legislative session.

In short, E-Verify is expensive, ineffective, inaccurate and, even worse, erodes the liberty of law-abiding citizens. I can't think of many issues on which the ACLU, the Cato Institute, and the Wall Street Journal (Feb. 9, 2009, editorial opinion) are in agreement. But each of them opposes E-Verify. I would caution those who think E-Verify is the only solution to remember Ben Franklin's timely warning: "Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."

Curt McKenzie, a Nampa Republican, chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee, which is the Senate's leadership committee.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/story/721824.html

McKenzie is an idiot. I'd like to have him tell me where a person can go to work and not have to produce a social security number. He's been bought off by big business and we all know it here in Idaho. This is going to be a really hot summer for that dude this year.

Originally Posted by tinybobidaho

McKenzie is an idiot. I'd like to have him tell me where a person can go to work and not have to produce a social security number. He's been bought off by big business and we all know it here in Idaho. This is going to be a really hot summer for that dude this year.

I applaud your efforts.

Illinois is so far gone they passed a bill forbidding the use of E-verify. The federal government stepped in to say oh no you can't do that.

Bring on the heat!

E-Verify or NO MONEY

I called in to the "Nate" show today, as he was talking about the article. At least this time I toned it down. The last time he had Labrador on, I kinda went over-board...but was glad Nate had me on hold for so long, so I could "chill" a little.

I am so beyond ready to support ANY candidate that runs against McKenzie - so long as they uphold the oath they take to serve Idahoans, not just Ag. and Dairy industries.

Glad I finally found you all

Peevedinidaho Welcome, welcome to ALIPAC.

Hey, Peeved, welcome. I'm so glad to see another Idahoan on here. I heard you on the Nate Shelman show, and you were great! Labrador stinks, and both him and McKenzie need to be replaced. Jorgenson is taking a lot of heat for standing up for the citizens of Idaho and we're doing all we can to support him.

awww, thanks for the welcome. As for the show - I really do hate to call in - I completely stink when I get on the air LOL. Oh well, radio speaking was never my forte'.

Been writing as often as I can - when my time allows. Been seeing a lot more folks speaking up, so that is a good thing. As for Labrador, I still can't believe Eagle voted for him - since he has such a "conflict of interest".

We have got to have folks in there who aren't lawyers LOL.

Will be at the Tea Party

Originally Posted by Peevedinidaho

awww, thanks for the welcome. As for the show - I really do hate to call in - I completely stink when I get on the air LOL. Oh well, radio speaking was never my forte'.

Been writing as often as I can - when my time allows. Been seeing a lot more folks speaking up, so that is a good thing. As for Labrador, I still can't believe Eagle voted for him - since he has such a "conflict of interest".

We have got to have folks in there who aren't lawyers LOL.

Will be at the Tea Party

You did great and are a good speaker on the radio. Nate can sure be a handful, though. Labrodor got slaughtered by everyone that day, and it sure tickled me.

Peeved, I sent you a PM.

Yesterday, Nate Shelman dedicated his entire show to the two opposing articles on E-Verify. A couple of people had issues with E-Verify, but not where the illegal aliens were concerned. Listen to the callers. I believe we have awakened sleepy Idaho. Go to the link, go down the page and click on Monday April 6.

http://www.670kboi.com/showdj.asp?DJID=42251