Ending haven for illegal aliens

The decision by the Department of Homeland Security to file suit against the state of Illinois for its attempt to thwart enforcement of Federal immigration laws is being applauded by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Washington, D.C. A state law, approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would bar employers in Illinois from using a Federal database to verify the work eligibility of prospective employees. In recent years, Illinois repeatedly has instituted policies aimed at shielding illegal aliens, maintains FAIR.

Responding to overwhelming public sentiment, the Bush Administration has begun notifying employers when workers' Social Security numbers do not match information in the government's database. In an effort to assist employers who wish to comply with laws against hiring illegal aliens, the Federal government has been encouraging them to utilize a database that allows them to verify Social Security numbers.

"Easy access to jobs in this country has long been the magnet that has drawn millions of illegal aliens here. As much as, or perhaps even more than, securing the borders, preventing illegal aliens from finding jobs is the key to reversing mass illegal immigration," notes Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Taking steps to bar employers from using the Social Security Administration's database to verify work eligibility until that database is virtually error free is nothing more than a blatant attempt by state officials to further undermine immigration taw enforcement. Perfection does not exist in this world, and we cannot expect it to be the standard for employment verification."

The policy that Illinois is attempting to thwart includes provisions to allow individuals to correct errors in the database that might be found during the verification process. "The state's effort is not about preventing errors, it is a politically motivated effort to prevent employers from identifying illegal aliens and complying with Federal law," Stein charges.

The suit also addresses serious constitutional issues by asserting the Federal government's right to enforce immigration laws everywhere in the country, even in jurisdictions that have made themselves de facto or formal sanctuaries for illegal aliens. "No state or local government can be permitted to stand in the way of the Federal government's unassailable right to carry out immigration enforcement. Federal law allows local governments to assist in immigration enforcement, but there is no opt-out provision that allows them to prevent immigration laws from being enforced. Employers in Illinois must be permitted to comply with the same laws as employers in the other 49 states," concludes Stein.

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