FW: [immigrants] Action Alert: Keep E-Verify Amendments Out of the Stimulus Package
Rosendo Delgado
From: Tara Tidwell Cullen [mailto:TTidwel...@heartlandalliance.org]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 4:04 PM
To: 'immig...@midwesthumanrights.org'
Subject: [immigrants] Action Alert: Keep E-Verify Amendments Out of the Stimulus Package
ACTION ALERT
Keep E-Verify Amendments Out of the Stimulus Package
Call Your Senators Today and Ask Them to Oppose Senator Sessions’ Amendments SA 165 and SA 239 to H.R.1
February 5, 2009 - Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) still hasn’t learned that Americans want sensible immigration reform rather than unjust enforcement that hurts American workers. Now he is threatening to slow the U.S. Senate’s progress on the economic stimulus package by introducing unnecessary amendments that would put both employers and employees at risk.
Senator Sessions has offered two amendments that require the use of E-Verify by any entity that obtains a contract with the federal government for a stimulus-funded project. These entities will include small businesses, public schools, hospitals, not-for-profit organizations, and faith-based programs. Most of these employers are not currently participating in the E-Verify system and should not be required to use it until its quality is improved and the rights of workers are respected.
Ask your senators to vote against any attempt to laden the economic stimulus bill with mandatory use of flawed electronic employment verification programs such as E-Verify.
In its current form, E-Verify is inaccurate and subject to misuse or abuse by employers. Problems with the system include:
- E-Verify is riddled with inaccurate data. U.S. citizens and immigrants who are authorized to work are routinely flagged as unauthorized by the system. Correcting these errors is time-consuming and costly for employers, especially small businesses. This burden does little to stimulate the economy.
- Individuals who are flagged by E-Verify as unauthorized to work frequently experience inappropriate action by employers. A 2007 independent evaluation of E-Verify found substantial employer misuse of the system, such as pre-employment screening, adverse action, and failure to inform employees of their rights.
- E-verify does not protect vulnerable immigrants who are lawfully authorized to work. According to Legal Momentum, E-Verify does not incorporate congressionally mandated protections on the confidentiality of personal information of immigrant victims of domestic violence, trafficking, sexual assault, or other violent crimes.
While many agree that an electronic employment verification program — implemented in conjunction with broader immigration reform — is a laudable goal, the current E-Verify system contains far too many flaws.
Please call the U.S. Capitol switchboard today at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Senators’ offices. Urge your Senators to oppose the Sessions Amendments.