Improved Employment Verification Program Not Effective Without Broader Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC--Today, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, held a hearing to review the strengths and limitations of the current employment verification system. A smart, effective and fair employment verification system that goes after abusive employers and protects workers from harassment is a critical component of SEIU's principles for comprehensive immigration reform. In response to the Senate hearing, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

"SEIU commends Senator Schumer and members of the Judiciary Subcommittee for rolling up their sleeves and starting to lay the groundwork for a thoughtful, solution-driven debate on comprehensive immigration reform this fall.

"Designing an employment verification system that strengthens workers' rights and goes after bad-apple employers who repeatedly violate labor and immigration law is an important part of an effective immigration solution. Yet, the current E-Verify program needs significant improvements before it can serve as an effective component of comprehensive reform.

"The Social Security Administration's own internal reports suggest that through E-Verify as many as 3.6 million workers a year will be misidentified as not authorized for employment--which could lead to mass layoffs and confusion for U.S. workers at a time when they are already struggling to stay afloat. SEIU encourages Congressional leaders to fixed today's flawed worksite enforcement models by scrubbing the database, offering real protections for workers who face discrimination, and prioritizing crack downs on employers who break labor laws.

"Of course, no matter how perfect the database or robust its labor crackdowns, worksite verification is useless and will actually make the problem worse without broader reforms that address our broken laws and the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working here.

"Worksite verification without comprehensive reform will push undocumented immigrants out of the legitimate taxed economy and into the underground cash economy. It will harm those employers that play by the rules and benefit abusive employers who continue to push down wages and working conditions for all workers. Instead, done alongside comprehensive reforms, an effective employment verification system will ensure that every worker is in the system, paying taxes, and protected by equal labor rights. It will help lift the wages and standards for all workers and ensure we build an immigration system that works over the long term."

"Few issues have languished longer, wasted more resources, hurt more lives, and left a stain on our nation's image like our fundamentally broken immigration system. As U.S. workers struggle in today's economy, it is clear that we cannot reclaim the American Dream for workers until we eliminate our two tiered labor force and pass comprehensive reforms that build the strength and unity of all working people. It's time to fix the problem once and for all. Let today's hearing be a sign of the more thoughtful, comprehensive debate to come."

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare, and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers, not just corporations and CEOs, benefit from today's global economy.

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