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State needs E-Verify system
December 09, 2009
From Oakland County Commissioner Jim Runestad (R-Waterford, White Lake):
Will unemployed Michiganders continue to compete with illegal immigrants for taxpayer-funded jobs? That question is before the Michigan House of Representatives this week in the form of legislation (House Bill 4355) sponsored by Rep. Dave Agema, which would require state and local governments and their contractors to verify whether new hires are eligible to work in the U.S. This should be a no-brainer for the House considering Michigan's unemployment rate, but there is no assurance that Speaker Andy Dillon and Majority Leader Kathy Angerer will even allow a vote on the measure.
Sound crazy? Well, if the state Chamber of Commerce and illegal-immigrant advocacy groups get their way, the legislation will die without a vote when the Legislature adjourns in the next few weeks. The Chamber of Commerce in particular has been waging a shameless campaign of misinformation in an effort to scare legislators into opposing it. They have even threatened to pull endorsements from the legislators supporting the measure.
The focus of the chamber's wrath is a provision requiring the use of the federal E-Verify system to check workplace eligibility. For those unfamiliar with E-Verify, it is the free online system that employers can use to check whether an employee is legally authorized to work in the country. E-Verify is fast, easy to use and extremely reliable. More important, E-Verify protects American workers by making it difficult for employers to hire illegal immigrants. And far from making employers the "immigration police," it shifts the responsibility of making workplace eligibility determinations from the employer to the federal government, where it belongs.
Those who profit by exploiting illegal labor are scared to death of E-Verify because it works so well. They have lined up against Rep. Agema's bill, claiming that it should not be used because it is not "foolproof." No system is foolproof, but E-Verify has a 96.9 percent accuracy rate. When was the last time you saw a government program with that kind of success?
Having led the drive to pass an E-Verify resolution in Oakland County in July, I'm well aware of the outright lies E-Verify opponents use to protect their interests. They claim employers and employees will be hurt by the use of E-Verify. Here is the truth: E-Verify receives positive reviews from the 170,000 employers who use it. Of the more than 8 million workers processed through the system this year, not a single one who was eligible to work in the United States was denied employment because of an E-Verify error. And jobs that might have gone to illegals have been filled by U.S. workers. That's a pretty good system, if you ask me.
Rep. Agema's bill essentially mirrors what the Obama Administration is doing at the federal level. Starting on Sept. 8, Federal contractors were required to use E-Verify to check both new hires and existing employees if they want to continue doing business with the federal government. The federal government is stepping up to protect American workers. Now, it's time for Michigan to do its part.
Stand up to those who oppose the interests of Michigan workers. Call/e-mail Speaker Andy Dillon and Majority Leader Kathy Angerer and tell them there are no longer any valid excuses for allowing government funds to be used to hire illegal workers, not when there are so many citizens struggling to find work. Speaker Andy Dillon: 517-373-0857 or andydillon@house.mi.gov, House Majority Leader Kathy Angerer: 517-373-1792 or kathyangerer@house.mi.gov.
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