Costly Government Mandate Would Undermine Economic Recovery, Cost American Taxpayers Billions, and Further Delay Immigration Reform

Washington, DC--Today the House Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement will hear testimony on a Republican proposal to permanently mandate use of the faulty E-Verify employment verification system. As anti-immigrant Republicans push another government mandate that would harm U.S. workers, SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

Mandatory E-Verify is the wrong solution at the wrong time. Unless E-Verify is part of broader, more comprehensive immigration reforms that restores fairness to our economy by ending illegal immigration, this job-killing bill would undermine economic recovery, waste billions of taxpayer dollars, and actually expand the underground economy.

"Once again, Republican ideologues would rather play politics than offer thoughtful policy solutions to one of America's greatest challenges. This government mandate would cost taxpayers billions of dollars by pushing undocumented workers off the tax rolls and deeper into the underground economy. At the same time, with a 20 percent error rate, the deeply flawed E-Verify database would lead to layoffs off thousands of U.S. citizen and legal immigrant workers. American workers and taxpayers deserve better.

"Congress must stand up to the anti-immigrant forces and quit wasting time on job-killing government mandates. Instead, the House leadership should push for solid immigration solutions that strengthen our economy, support working families and restore the rule of law for the long-term."

SEIU's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Principles

A comprehensive solution would couple enforcement at the border and in the workplace with a path to earned legalization for all hard working immigrants. It will also replace guest worker programs with a system that guarantees immigrant workers full labor and civil rights protections, and a road to U.S. citizenship. Done together, these reforms will finally restore the rule of law and eliminate an informal labor market that drives down wages and labor protections for all U.S. workers. Read more about the Change to Win and AFL-CIO's Unified Immigration Reform Framework.

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas and the largest union of immigrants. 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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