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CONTACT: ACLU Linda Paris, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org |
Senate Passes Harmful Grassley Amendment Encouraging Use of E-Verify for Existing Employees, Not Just New Hires
Amendment Could Cause Unjust Termination of US Workers Lacking Photo ID, Says ACLU
WASHINGTON - July 10 - The U.S. Senate approved an amendment Thursday night to the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010 allowing employers enrolled in E-Verify to verify the identity all of their current employees, not just new hires, through the system. The amendment, offered by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), passed the Senate by voice vote.
Under Grassley's proposal, the DHS E-Verify system would require that all workers present government-issued photo ID to their employers, such as a passport or driver's license. This documentation requirement would apply to all workers, including U.S. citizens, employed with an employer enrolled in E-Verify. The Grassley amendment encourages employers enrolled in E-Verify to verify the identification of all current employees, even if they have worked many years for that employer and even if they started work prior to the employer's enrollment in E-Verify. The Grassley amendment was one of many "enforcement-only" amendments passed by the Senate this week and added to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act.
Though intended to catch unauthorized workers, the Grassley amendment will, in fact, jeopardize U.S. workers at a time of growing unemployment. Approximately 11 million U.S. citizens do not have birth certificates or U.S. passports. Because many states require a birth certificate or passport in order to get a state-issued photo ID, millions of U.S. citizens cannot obtain such photo ID. Under the Grassley amendment, these U.S. workers could lose their jobs because they cannot meet the photo ID requirements specified in E-Verify.
The following can be attributed to Joanne Lin, ACLU Legislative Counsel:
"At a time when our country is facing double-digit unemployment rates, the Senate has passed several amendments this week that will directly harm U.S. citizen workers. Instead of focusing its time on restoring jobs to U.S. citizens, the Senate has opted to use a spending bill to push through highly flawed enforcement measures which will, in fact, shut out innocent U.S. workers from much-needed jobs."
7 Comments so far
Show AllCan I E-Verify my Senators and Congressman?
Love the prior comment, HUMBABA.
Something else not mentioned in this brief is the amount of time it takes to get a certified copy of a birth certificate from certain counties in the United States. In counties like San Diego if the original certificate was not filed in the last decade or so, it can take several months because of backlogs in the microfiche departments. If you are asked for a birth certificate at work, go home discover you can't find it and have to write away for it, you'll be sitting in a Halliburton detention camp before you can say "Bob's your Uncle." It's getting to the point where you're going to have to carry your documents on you at all times ( like those evil regimes you learned about in school back in the day) or get that handy dandy chip implant. But of course that is the point to begin with.
I think it's time for the regulation needed in our workforce. This ACLU doesn't even touch upon the unfairness that exists today in allowing millions of people to have jobs and services at the expense of citizens through forgery and other illegal activity. Whose civil liberties are being ignored here? Why doesn't the ACLU protest about the unfairness to American workers and American taxpayers by those who are harboring the current invasion of illegals and all the people who are harmed by identify fraud, which is probably a larger number than those who could not produce a birth certificate?
I appauld the new E-verify regulations. Too many employers take advantage of undocumented workers. E-verify will insure that employers hire legal residents. This will aid new legal immigrants and young people looking for work.
If 11 million citizens have no birth certificate, I bet most of them are retired and not working. Employers already require people to have identification. Most people use their driver's license.
E-Verify will help millions of Americans gain employment.
When did illegal activity become known as "undocumented" activity. I guess it's undocumented when you break into a grocery store. It's also undocumented when you deal drugs on the street. I prefer to call it what it is, illegal.
Numbers USA explains how E-verify will aid Americans and legal residents ~
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/july-10-2009/after-4-senate-victories-how-do-we-protect-them-backroom-death.html
Pretty gawddamned sickening to have those we elect to represent us turn their backs on us voters without the least bit of remorse or regret and especially in a dire time such as now.
Probably won't ever get out from this without totally dismantling the whole corporate machine that is the cause of it all.
Unless one takes into consideration of the people just letting these greaseballs get away with their criminal deviousness which represents an unwillingness to act, intentional or not, but maintains the samosamo bulls**t.