Ken Calvert

Illegal Immigration

The U.S. immigration system is broken. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the U.S. It is vital that Congress take action to secure our borders and stop illegal immigration. The status quo is unacceptable and I share many of your frustrations with this issue.

First, I am wholeheartedly against amnesty. I believe it is inherently unfair to give legal status to those whose first actions were to break our laws. Below are some of the initiatives I support to deter illegal immigration, increase interior enforcement and keep our border secure: 

• Public Law 109-367 – The Secure Fence Act. Mandates the Department of Homeland Security to build 700 miles of fence on the southern border. 
• Citizenship Reform. Denies citizenship to an individual born in the U.S. if both parents are illegal immigrants or do not reside in the U.S legally. 
• English Only. Declares English the official language of the United States. 
• No Credit Cards for Illegals. Requires the federal government and financial institutions to accept only secure forms of identification. 
• No Social Security for illegal immigrants. 
• No drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants.

In 1996, I created the Basic Pilot Program, now known as E-Verify, which allows employers to check the legal status of new employees. E-Verify involves verification checks of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security databases of all newly hired employees, regardless of citizenship. E-Verify is being used by over 105,000 nationwide and two states, Arizona and Mississippi, have made use of E-Verify mandatory. A bill I introduced in January 2009, the Employment Eligibility Verification System, H.R. 19 would make E-Verify mandatory for all employers over seven years. Highlights of the bill include:

• The authorization for the current system expires September 30, 2009, H.R. 19 would extend it indefinitely. 
• H.R. 19 would authorize all necessary funding for E-Verify. 
• H.R. 19 would require employers to use the program, based on a phased-in timeline. The timeline would require the largest companies to be compliant within one year of enactment. The smallest companies would have seven years to become compliant.

Until we cut off the magnet of jobs through employment verification, we will never truly have control of the problem.