Immigration Reform Caucus

House Reauthorizes E-Verify

Illegal Worker Detection System Extended for 5 More Years

July 31, 2008

washington, d.c. — Acting to prevent illegal immigrants from gaining employment, the House of Representatives today voted to extend for five more years a successful federal system used by employers to weed out prospective employees who are not legally entitled to work in the United States.

By a 407-2 margin, the House endorsed the continuation of E-Verify (H.R. 6633), an easy-to-use web-based program that cross-references Social Security numbers and other pertinent information of job applicants. Employers are quickly notified whether an applicant can be hired.

In response to today’s vote, Representative Brian Bilbray, who chairs the Immigration Reform Caucus and played a key role in the development and implementation of E-Verify, issued the following statement:

“It’s certainly no secret that illegal employment is what drives illegal immigrants to come to the United States. Since its launch, E-Verify has proven to be incredibly effective in deterring illegal immigrants from finding jobs. By using E-Verify, employers are no longer expected to be document experts,” Rep. Bilbray said.  “The liability of determining the legal status of an employee is placed on the government, not the business owner.”

“While I am pleased by today’s action, I am also hopeful that E-Verify will soon me made mandatory for all U.S. employers, which is the key element in a bill I have co-authored (H.R. 4088). Making E-Verify mandatory will protect American workers and law-abiding businesses from the unfair competition created by a massive illegal workforce.”

E-Verify is offered on a voluntary basis and provided free of charge to all U.S. employers.  However, all federal contractors are required to use it, and some states have also made it mandatory for all employers.  It is now being successfully used by more than 78,000 American companies.

Companies can access E-Verify online and compare an employee's Form I-9 information with over 444 million records in the Social Security Administration database, and more than 60 million records in Department of Homeland Security immigration databases.

###