For Immediate Release
May 26, 2011 |
Contact: Jessica Baker, 202-225-3951 |
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Smith Statement on Supreme Court’s Decision Upholding E-Verify Law
Washington, DC – In a 5-3 decision, the Supreme Court today upheld an Arizona law requiring employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check the legal status of newly hired employees. The law also permits Arizona to revoke business licenses of employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) released the statement below.
Chairman Smith: “I am pleased the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Arizona E-Verify law and their right to revoke business licenses for employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Not only is this law constitutional, it is commonsense. American jobs should be preserved for Americans and legal workers.
“E-Verify provides American employers who want to do the right thing with a straightforward tool to do so. Although the program is currently voluntary, over 250,000 American employers willingly use E-Verify and an average of 1,300 new businesses sign up each week. Because this program is so successful and well-liked by employers, I will introduce legislation soon to expand E-Verify and make it mandatory across the United States.
“Today there are seven million individuals working in the United States illegally. E-Verify will help turn off the jobs magnet that encourages illegal immigration.”
About E-Verify: E-Verify was created in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This web-based system allows employers to electronically verify that newly-hired employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Specifically, the Social Security numbers and alien identification numbers of new hires are checked against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security records in order to weed out fraudulent numbers and help ensure that new hires are genuinely eligible to work. The program quickly confirms 99.5 percent of work-eligible employees.
Over 250,000 American employers voluntarily use E-Verify and an average of 1,300 new businesses sign up each week.
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