Altmire Supports Legislation to Secure America's Borders, Stop Illegal Immigration
July 23, 2009
(Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) joined with Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11) and 74 other bipartisan lawmakers to introduce legislation that will combat illegal immigration by strengthening America’s borders and cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. The Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act calls for the hiring of 6,000 new border patrol agents to secure our borders and will require that every American employer verifies its employees’ eligibility to work in the United States.
“We need to take action to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States,” Altmire said. “The SAVE Act provides real immigration reform: it secures America’s borders and cracks down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. These are the steps we need to take to curb illegal immigration and ensure that our nation’s immigration laws are being enforced.”
In addition to hiring 6,000 new border patrol agents, the SAVE Act would secure America’s borders by utilizing new technology and fencing and by expanding anti-smuggling enforcement programs.
The SAVE Act also requires every employer to verify its employees’ eligibility to work in the United States through the Employment Eligibility Verification (E-Verify) program. E-Verify is currently being used by over 100,000 employers and has been proven to be an effective way to confirm workers’ eligibly to work in the U.S. The SAVE Act would also help to combat fraud by requiring that individuals be notified when their Social Security Numbers have been stolen and are being misused.
Finally, the SAVE Act would enhance current illegal immigration enforcement measures by hiring more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and improving resources for expedient judicial proceedings during immigration trials.
