Immigration crackdown at workplace a growing trend

It's too early for members of the Texas Legislature to start filing bills ahead of the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature. But PoliTex is going to go out on a limb and predict that somebody will propose legislation that would require Texas employers to use the federal "E-Verify" system to ensure folks have valid work papers.

The idea is catching on across the country, and the government estimates that 1,000 employers a week are signing up for E-Verify -- prompting Homeland Security to request more funding to keep up.

It was conceived as a voluntary program, whereby personnel managers can electronically verify whether a prospective employee has a valid social security number and authorization to work in the United States. But now several legislatures have passed bills requiring companies doing business in their states to make use of it.

Critics say the system is too error-prone. But at least a dozen states have some version of the requirement, and Rhode Island is poised to jump on board, according to an AP story out today.

-- Jay Root

P.S. The photo, by Tom Pennington, shows illegal immigrants being processed at a federal detention center in Nogales, Arizona.

Comments

[Lucy]

I feel if you cut off the head of the snake, the snake dies. Take to task the employer's who hire illegals, some who underpay & overwork these illegals and the simple math of what the cost to taxpayers is to have these illegal's living amongst us. I don't dislike the illegal who comes across the border to only find a source of income to feed his family, but now these aren't produce workers we have, but folks who fully intend to make use of our schools, medical facilities and the biggie, the way they know how to work the subsidy system. No one is this country,illegally, should qualify for subsidy's, period. A child born to illegals in this country should have dual citizenship, not by location of birth recv automatic keys to the US. Most want to stay Mexican's, not become American's. They refuse to assimalate like the wave's of LEGAL immigrants did in the last century. My pity quota is gone, which is sad, since I know there are some living here who truly embrace the ideology of becoming American citizens, what a shame they are in the minority and also have to live in the shadows.

[earugo]

Did they refer to this somewhere as the "Mark of the Beast"?

[Bud Spaulding]

Is this a racist newspaper or what? They only print comments they like. Is this fair? I think not so I do not expect to see my comment in this rag. Open season should be declared on illegals and a bounty given to person turning them in. It is everyone job to see that our laws are enforced. Its simple illegal is illegal and being here illegal is against the law.

[TexMan]

This should of happened a long time ago not just a few states but nationally. These are people who have committed crimes and should be delt with in accordance to the laws of our land. Period. I am white male in Texas where now I am unofficialy considered a minority. To people who see this label "minority" as a word meaning poor you are not seeing the big picture. Just being labeled that word will get you student grants, loans, business loans and a ton of government assistance you would not otherwise quilify for all paid for by the legal american taxpayer. So people coming here illigally are taking full advantage of our system that was set up from back in the day of slavery are now doing better off than the people who were legally born and raised here (me personally, my family has been here since the 1600's) because I do not quilify for help if I ever wanted or worse yet needed it. Lets help the legal americans here before we start helping everybody else. Im not trying to sound selfish but if we cant help ourself first how much longer do you think we can go on before we become just like (for example since were talking about it) Mexico!

[Herb]

Lucy's comments are right on target! Legal Mexican immigrants have contributed so much to Texas and the US in the past. What the ILLEGAL aliens are doing is a slap in the face to those who came here legally, waited on the process, used that waiting time to assimilate into the community, learned English, and became citizens.
It is a tragedy that Mexico's government is too corrupt to provide jobs or safety nets for it's people. Unless we secure our borders and use all means available we will find ourselves where Mexico is now, our citizens will be leaving to find jobs in China or India. OH, we already are, as that's where our manufacturing and technology jobs have gone.