Thread: STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR HALEY BARBOUR ON SENATE BILL 2988

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2008

STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR HALEY BARBOUR ON SENATE BILL 2988

“Today, I have signed into law SB 2988, a bill designed to discourage illegal immigration in Mississippi by creating new penalties for hiring illegal immigrants. I appreciate the efforts of Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant and others in the House and Senate who have worked so hard on this issue.

Any employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien should be held accountable, and that is the goal of SB 2988. While I have signed this legislation into law, I have serious concerns about specific provisions of the bill that could have unintended negative consequences. I urge the Legislature to make the necessary technical changes to ensure this bill will have the intended effect.

Senate Bill 2988 mandates that employers utilize the federal E-Verify program administered by the Department of Homeland Security. I am concerned about mandating the E-Verify system as the sole source from which an employer in Mississippi can verify a potential employee’s eligibility, especially since the federal government itself has said E-Verify is not a reliable system. According to a 2006 Report prepared for the United States Department of Homeland Security: “The accuracy of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) database used for verification has improved substantially since the start of the Basic Pilot program. However, further improvements are needed, especially if the Web Basic Pilot becomes a mandated national program – improvements that USCIS personnel report are currently underway. Most importantly, the database used for verification is still not sufficiently up to date to meet the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) requirements for accurate verification, especially for naturalized citizens. USCIS accommodates this problem by providing for manual review that is time consuming and can lead to discrimination against work-authorized foreign-born persons during the period that the verification is ongoing, especially naturalized citizens.â€

Whoo Hoo!

YAA-HOO! I WAS PRAYING THAT HE WOULD SIGN THE BILL!

Love your avatar BB

Originally Posted by Populist

It is, therefore, very important that the law be written clearly and be interpreted predictably. SB 2988 falls short of that standard, and it also limits compliance to a system of verification that even its provider, the U.S. Government, says is insufficiently reliable.

What is this BS?

[quote]
I look forward to working with the Legislature this session to make these greatly needed technical amendments.â€

Originally Posted by Gogo

Love your avatar BB

Thank you GoGo. I needed a change.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Originally Posted by Gogo

Love your avatar BB

Thank you GoGo. I needed a change.

ya I need to find one too.

This is great news.

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence." Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

We still need a little time to analyze what types of "technical changes" Barbour wants, what this means, and what comes of this.

Right now time to celebrate!! We still have our eyes on him.