Media Center: Editorials

Editorials

• Letter to the Editor: "Biometrics Is the Way To Go for ID"
  Wall Street Journal  07/25/2009
  ...Consumers are increasingly given the choice to use biometrics to either prove or protect their identities, whether at the airport or at the ATM. A thumbprint or a retina scan is not the same as an ID card, as it cannot be forged, stolen or misused. That’s why utilizing biometrics this way in the employment verification process to confirm identity is included in our bipartisan House bill, H.R. 2028, the “New Employee Verification Act.” Yes, there will still be unscrupulous employers and “off the books” employment, but that’s where the government should be focusing its enforcement resources—not on plant raids on law-abiding businesses with properly verified employees.
• "Blame the Employers"
  Wall Street Journal  07/16/2009
  ...A bigger problem with E-Verify is that it doesn't catch identify fraud. An illegal alien using legitimate documents that don't belong to him can go undetected. So in addition to mistakenly rejecting people who are authorized to work, the system also confirms workers it shouldn't. Several government raids on businesses in recent years have resulted in the arrests of thousands of illegal workers whom E-Verify had approved.
• "E-Verify Would Hurt Penna"
  Philadelphia Inquirer   07/01/2009
  Two bills in the Pennsylvania legislature have the potential to cause economic and business disruption in the state. If passed, they could cost certain employers time and money, prevent many employees from starting work, and cause the state to be seen as unfriendly to business. Introduced by state Reps. John Galloway (D., Bucks) and Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler), the bills would require construction-industry and public-works employers who contract with the state to check workers' employment authorization using E-Verify, a program set up by the Department of Homeland Security to confirm legal status.
• More Effective Verification Goal (Op-ed)
  Yuma Sun  05/05/2009
  U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation (H.R. 2029 - New Employee Verification Act) that would replace the current federal employee verification system - E-Verify – with a more effective program.
• Giffords Would Replace E-Verify With Better Plan
  Arizona Daily Star  05/01/2009
  Although it's only one of several steps needed to fix the nation's broken immigration system, we believe federal legislation aimed at revamping the way businesses check on potential employees' work eligibility should move forward. As outlined in the New Employee Verification Act of 2009, which was re-introduced last week by U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and Sam Johnson, R-Texas, the program promises to be more efficient, less error-prone and would, for the first time, be mandatory for companies nationwide looking to hire workers.
• Timing Immigration Reform (Op-ed)
  The Washington Post  04/23/2009
  The Obama administration recently signaled interest in beginning a discussion on comprehensive immigration reform before year's end. It might seem that a severe economic downtown is not the best time for a major legislative initiative on immigration. But starting this conversation now makes sense for several reasons.
• Make E-Verify Work
  News-Record   09/02/2008
  Last week's raid of a manufacturing plant in Mississippi put the spotlight back on illegal immigration. Netting almost 600, it's the biggest immigration raid ever made on a U.S. plant.
• Verifying Employment
  Las Vegas Review-Journal  09/02/2008
  A voluntary federal program called "E-Verify" has been a cornerstone in the Bush administration's fight against illegal immigration. Employers willing to join up would be able to run would-be employees through an instant electronic check, confirming the validity of their Social Security cards and other forms of American identification.
• Fixes May Make E-Verify More Usable for Business
  Tucson Citizen  08/06/2008
  The federal identification program at the heart of Arizona's employer sanctions law has a new life - but with badly needed checks and improvements.
• Immigration, Unreformed
  The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)  07/14/2008
  Months after Congress failed to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, the illegal immigration crisis hasn't gone away. It's just splintered into a thousand pieces many of them with sharp edges.