We Have to Crack Down on Employers to Solve Illegal Immigration (Rep. Brian Bilbray)

President Bush recently gave speech a in Yuma, Arizona calling for a “comprehensive

Employer verification and employer enforcement have been instrumental parts of every legislative proposal that is being considered right now by Congress. The American people will no longer tolerate a policy of inaction. There is simply no excuse for failing to take action on interior enforcement.  Ending the insane practice of rewarding illegal immigrants with jobs and giving employers the tools they need to verify employment eligibility is a responsible and common sense step Congress can immediately take to demonstrate their commitment to illegal immigration reform. Doing so will provide employers with the resources they need to identify who should be here and who should not.

Document fraud has become a widespread problem as employers are ill-equipped to detect and authenticate workers’ identification documents. Currently, there are more than 30 types of identification employers can use to verify employment eligibility. By limiting the burden of documentation to just one, uniform card, employers will finally have the tools they need to comply with the law. We need to separate those who are egregiously violating the law and those who do not have the means to enforce and comply with the law.

Since the United States Congress cannot agree on how to address the 12 million illegal immigrants who are currently living in our country, why not concentrate our efforts on something we do agree on in the first place? Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate agree that employment opportunities are a driving force behind illegal immigration. This unanimity can be a starting point for action that is sorely needed. Republicans lost control of the Congress because they failed to take action to address this problem when they had the opportunity to do so. Now, we have another window of opportunity to take action and to pass legislation that will do more than meet the political needs of lawmakers who, up to this point, have yet to demonstrate the will to do what needs to be done to address illegal immigration.

Employer enforcement should be more than a benchmark; it should be the focal point of any illegal immigration plan. Some argue you have to do it all at the border, but the border is where the problem is originating, not where the effects are manifested. Border security provisions are window-dressing if you fail to adopt meaningful employer enforcement measures.