Utah Valley Times

On June 13, 2024, U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), JD Vance (R-OH), and Joe Manchin (I-WV) introduced the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2024. This bipartisan legislation aims to require all employers to use the federal electronic E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of their workforce.

The bill follows President Biden’s recent attempt to restrict asylum claims, which does not address the millions of illegal immigrants who have already entered the United States since he took office. The senators argue that this leaves in place an employment magnet that incentivizes illegal immigration.

"President Biden’s last-ditch effort to limit asylum is too little, too late. Millions of illegal immigrants have already flooded into our country under his watch, and his executive order falls short in stopping widespread illegal employment," Senator Romney stated. "By requiring all employers to use E-Verify, our legislation would ensure that businesses only hire legal workers—eliminating a key driver of illegal immigration and protecting jobs for hardworking Americans."

Senator Cotton added, "American workers today compete against millions of illegal immigrants for too few jobs—that’s unfair. Ending the black market for illegal labor will open up jobs for Americans. Our legislation will take the necessary steps to make sure every potential employer is hiring only legal workers."

"E-verify protects employees and employers," said Dr. Cassidy. "It is an essential tool in controlling immigration and protecting Americans’ jobs."

Senator Manchin emphasized his support by saying, "I’m proud to introduce the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2024 to ensure businesses of all sizes are hiring legal workers. Along with the E-Verify mandate, our bipartisan legislation would increase penalties for businesses that intentionally avoid E-Verify and hire unauthorized labor." He also highlighted its significance as part of a broader immigration reform effort: "Expanding E-Verify was a key component of the 2013 bipartisan immigration deal that passed the Senate and was our biggest opportunity to comprehensively fix our broken immigration system."

One leading cause of illegal immigration is inadequate safeguards against unlawful employment in the U.S. job market. In 2021, approximately 7.8 million illegal immigrants were part of the U.S. labor force, with undocumented migrant encounters reported by U.S. Border Patrol increasing significantly since then.

According to Rasmussen Reports, 68% of likely voters believe that mandating employers to use E-Verify would help ensure they hire only legal workers for U.S. jobs.

The full text of the legislation can be found on Senator Romney's official website.

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