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EFFORT TO EXTEND, IMPROVE EMPLOYEE VERIFICATION PROGRAM
House approves $42.7 billion for Homeland Security, including provisions inserted by Giffords
WASHINGTON-Oct. 15, 2009 - A provision by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to improve and extend operation of an employee verification system was part of a $42.7 billion national security appropriation bill approved today by the House of Representatives.
"Employers must be held responsible if they knowingly hire illegal immigrants," Giffords said. "But employers must also be able to rely on the federal government to provide a reliable system for determining a potential employee's legal status."
The legislation also includes provisions by Giffords to extend visa programs for religious workers, doctors serving rural areas and for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States.
The House approved the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act this afternoon in a 307-to-114 vote. The Senate will now consider the measure.
Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District includes 114 miles of international border, inserted language in the bill to appropriate $137 million to operate the E-Verify program for an additional three years and to improve its accuracy.
E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration. E-Verify allows employers to electronically verify that newly hired employees are legally entitled to work in the United States.
Although Giffords supports E-Verify, she believes there is a more effective way for employers to check the status of employees. In 2008 and again this year, Giffords and U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, a Texas Republican, introduced the New Employee Verification Act, legislation intended to replace and improve on E-Verify.
Known as NEVA, the Giffords-Johnson bill would transition verifications from the voluntary E-Verify process, in which 2 percent of employers participate, to a mandatory process for all new hires.
NEVA would increase the civil and criminal penalties for hiring illegal workers. In some cases, the penalties under NEVA would be more than 10 times greater than the current penalty. If an employer engages in a pattern of knowingly hiring illegal workers, NEVA would elevate the crime to the felony level and increase the maximum fine from $3,000 to $50,000, with a minimum year of imprisonment.
The system would include a standard background check and the collection of a "biometric" characteristic - such as a thumbprint - to secure an employee's identity and prevent the illegal use of a Social Security number, stolen or fraudulently-obtained drivers' license or altered identification documents.
"NEVA is the best way to ensure that employees are legally entitled to work in the United States," Giffords said. "But until it is improved and in place, E-Verify must be strengthened."
Giffords also included language in the Homeland Security funding bill to extend, for three years, issuance of three specific types of visas:
á R visas, issued to religious workers;
á Conrad 30-J visas, which allow state health agencies to annually hire up to 30 foreign physicians to practice in rural and inner-city communities that have difficulty recruiting physicians; and
á EB-5 visas, issued to foreign nationals who invest at least $1 million and create at least 10 jobs in the United States.
The provisions are part of a bill focused on securing the nation's borders and preparing for any potential disaster. It funds the full costs of 20,163 Border Patrol agents - an increase of 7,814 agents, or 63 percent, since 2006. More than 17,000 of these agents will be based on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Giffords noted that a particular focus of the bill is increasing security and reducing violence along the Southwest Border, where increased activity by Mexican drug cartels has led to a significant rise in violence, drug smuggling and weapons smuggling.
The bill prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being released into the United States and its territories. It also prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being transferred to the United States and its territories - with only one narrow exception: for the purposes of prosecution.
A detainee can only be transferred to the U.S. for prosecution after Congress receives a plan detailing the risks involved and a plan for mitigating such risk, and the state's governor receives a certification from the U.S. attorney general that the individual poses little or no security risk.
WASHINGTON-Oct. 15, 2009 - A provision by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to improve and extend operation of an employee verification system was part of a $42.7 billion national security appropriation bill approved today by the House of Representatives.
"Employers must be held responsible if they knowingly hire illegal immigrants," Giffords said. "But employers must also be able to rely on the federal government to provide a reliable system for determining a potential employee's legal status."
The legislation also includes provisions by Giffords to extend visa programs for religious workers, doctors serving rural areas and for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States.
The House approved the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act this afternoon in a 307-to-114 vote. The Senate will now consider the measure.
Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District includes 114 miles of international border, inserted language in the bill to appropriate $137 million to operate the E-Verify program for an additional three years and to improve its accuracy.
E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration. E-Verify allows employers to electronically verify that newly hired employees are legally entitled to work in the United States.
Although Giffords supports E-Verify, she believes there is a more effective way for employers to check the status of employees. In 2008 and again this year, Giffords and U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, a Texas Republican, introduced the New Employee Verification Act, legislation intended to replace and improve on E-Verify.
Known as NEVA, the Giffords-Johnson bill would transition verifications from the voluntary E-Verify process, in which 2 percent of employers participate, to a mandatory process for all new hires.
NEVA would increase the civil and criminal penalties for hiring illegal workers. In some cases, the penalties under NEVA would be more than 10 times greater than the current penalty. If an employer engages in a pattern of knowingly hiring illegal workers, NEVA would elevate the crime to the felony level and increase the maximum fine from $3,000 to $50,000, with a minimum year of imprisonment.
The system would include a standard background check and the collection of a "biometric" characteristic - such as a thumbprint - to secure an employee's identity and prevent the illegal use of a Social Security number, stolen or fraudulently-obtained drivers' license or altered identification documents.
"NEVA is the best way to ensure that employees are legally entitled to work in the United States," Giffords said. "But until it is improved and in place, E-Verify must be strengthened."
Giffords also included language in the Homeland Security funding bill to extend, for three years, issuance of three specific types of visas:
á R visas, issued to religious workers;
á Conrad 30-J visas, which allow state health agencies to annually hire up to 30 foreign physicians to practice in rural and inner-city communities that have difficulty recruiting physicians; and
á EB-5 visas, issued to foreign nationals who invest at least $1 million and create at least 10 jobs in the United States.
The provisions are part of a bill focused on securing the nation's borders and preparing for any potential disaster. It funds the full costs of 20,163 Border Patrol agents - an increase of 7,814 agents, or 63 percent, since 2006. More than 17,000 of these agents will be based on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Giffords noted that a particular focus of the bill is increasing security and reducing violence along the Southwest Border, where increased activity by Mexican drug cartels has led to a significant rise in violence, drug smuggling and weapons smuggling.
The bill prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being released into the United States and its territories. It also prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being transferred to the United States and its territories - with only one narrow exception: for the purposes of prosecution.
A detainee can only be transferred to the U.S. for prosecution after Congress receives a plan detailing the risks involved and a plan for mitigating such risk, and the state's governor receives a certification from the U.S. attorney general that the individual poses little or no security risk.
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Brittanicus wrote on Nov 3, 2009 1:48 PM:
When the Senate debated the bill to extend federal unemployment benefits for 14 weeks, Senator Sessions filed an amendment to permanently extend the E-Verify program. Outrageously, the Sessions amendment was stripped from the final version of the bill by the House-Senate committee members that included Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi. In the Democratic majority Homeland Security Appropriations bill, they in conclusion authorized E-Verify for just three years. Unfortunately this leaves the enforcement program pregnable to the--AMNESTY ZEALOTS? These opponents can monopolize any long-term or permanent reauthorization of E-Verify as collateral in leverage for the course of mass amnesty for the 20 to 30 million illegal immigrants squatting in this nation You guessed it?--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a motion to cut off debate--invoking cloture--on the unemployment compensation extension bill without initially giving the Senate time to vote on the Sessions amendment.
WE SHOULD INDELIBLY REMEMBER THIS ANTI-AMERICAN WORKER LEGISLATOR, AND THROW HIM FROM OFFICE IN 2010 AS HE PROVED WITHOUT ANY DOUBT FOREIGN LABOR IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM THAN HIS OWN COUNTRYMEN Along with House Speaker Pelosi and all Democratic leadership, they have used their influence to collude with corporate lobbyists subversive open border organizations to starve Immigration enforcement of full funding and a voice in Washington since coming to power. Yet this doesn’t mean that either Bush’s or prior administrations are without fault in securing the border or stopping the hordes of illegal aliens from breaking our laws. Recently Fifty-four Representatives sent the president a letter expressing their support for 287 G - the government training program that allows agents from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deputize state and county law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
. Simply speaking, it cited, 287 G, was—NOT-- just designated to be confined to habitual criminals and gangs as some have purposely mislead, but constructed to let state and regional enforcement officials assist in enforcement of—ALL--immigration laws; removing illegal immigrants from the streets and highways. It could become prevalent within any city and neighborhood precincts, if that particular police department has been deputized and trained according to the 287 G program. Sadly, many cities have failed in this measure owing to the—SANCTUARY CITY—policies. If San Francisco and Los Angeles has empowered its police departments to adopt 287 G, the deaths of many innocent citizens could have been prevented. Other cities may still be held at fault, because they too had pro-illegal immigration city councils and managers who ignorantly ignored the people plea to enforce immigration laws such as 287 G?
To date the pro-illegal immigration letter signed by a group in the Democratic leadership has declared a "commitment to repair our broken immigration system" These groups have expressed a strong support for moving forward on comprehensive immigration reform--AMNESTY-- this year, which are strongly back by giant business consortium's. The signers of the letter has overseen by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), a well-known amnesty zealot who, earlier this year, spent weekending events, pushing his AMNESTY proposition amongst congregational religion, Union halls, ethnic caucuses in his tours nationwide.
Outside of this growing distressing dilemma, my Mother-in-Law asked me if E-Verify could be used to determine the credit and background of people who apply for store leases or the purchase and renting of homes. This would be a compatible as an invaluable need with credit bureau reports, so illegal immigrants could be detected in Indianapolis. E-verify, a computerized tool has been adequately funded, which means ongoing modification and simplicity of use; along with the 1-9 paperwork. Further use could be Drivers license identification, auto registration, auto insurance, health care applications, IRS tax credits, home and store leases and renting, election voting and as of now removing foreigners from work locations?
Today we are bombarded on all sides by the inflow of foreign nationals, who in many cases can disappear leaving landlords with huge bills. E-Verify is possibly the best weapon to retaliate against illegal immigration. Senators and Representatives are all suspect, so call them at 202-224-3121. Only because of angry repercussions of THE PEOPLES response, that under intense pressure E-Verify survived. Business interests and the open border groups would have torn it away, but recognition came by thousands of blogger’s who notified the public already tired of supporting corporate welfare and their illegal alien hires and family members. It’s not over yet because thousands of piratical business and radical groups have massive financial influence on lawmakers we voted to govern us? Be aware of immigration issues and immigration enforcement grading at NUMBERSUSA, Learn about corruption lawsuits, including ACORN sleaze at JUDICIAL WATCH. AMNESTY means OVERPOPULATION that needs your urgent attention at CAPSWEB. "