Immigration Impasse no Surprise
Legislation Stalled on many Levels
Immigration legislation joins the Real ID card and Electronic Employment Verification program as distasteful solutions to twenty year problem.
It is no surprise that the United States Congress reached a dead end on new immigration legislation. This multi-layered issue divides even the various special interests groups involved.
Some states require immediate solutions to an expanding population of illegal immigrants while others would remain unaffected by any type of legislation. On the local level there are communities that have been revitalized by the influx of immigrant families, and city budgets shattered by increased amenities.
Likewise, a small number of industries, such as agriculture and construction, depend on a pool of immigrant labor that does not match the needs of other businesses. A contrasting consensus exists even among unions and civil rights groups.
On a national scale, the federal government is playing catch-up for twenty years of laissez-faire in attempts to enact useful programs to control the illegal immigration situation. Two specific measures under scrutiny are the Real ID card and the Electronic Employment Verification program.
Real ID
The Real ID Act was established in 2005 to create national standards for state driver’s licenses and identification cards. The new tamper-proof cards will include a digital photo, legal documentation, verified Social Security number, full name and address on a magnetic strip.
The information will be stored on a DMV database and accessible to all fifty states. The Real ID card is slated to become the only acceptable means of identification for air travel, banking, and employment applications.
Implementation of the new system has been postponed until December 2009 due to objections raised by state legislatures. The expected financial burden on the individual states and the risk of identity theft from the national database are points of opposition.
Electronic Employment Verification (EEV) Basic Pilot
Electronic Employment Verification was instituted in 1997 as one experimental method to alleviate the employment of illegal immigrants in five states. The Basic Pilot program has since been expanded to all states as an optional tool which provides validation of Social Security numbers and confirmation of the right-to-work status of potential new hires.
Though the program is easy to use and free of charge, it has been adopted by less than one percent of the total businesses in the nation. Legislation to require mandatory use of the verification tool is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Complaints about the current system include the necessity to first hire the employee before initiating the checks, and require all newly hired personnel to be tested equally. The program does not allow for checks of workers hired before the system was adopted.
Electronic Employment Verification confirms the authenticity of a Social Security number, but does not reveal if the card has been stolen, or if it is being used multiple times in different locales. EEV also verifies the right for the cardholder to work in this country.
Many industries see no advantage in using the verification program. In business sectors that typically use immigrant labor, the response is mixed. Companies intent on saving wage dollars by using illegal immigrant manpower do not subscribe to the government service.
Companies that use the EEV system are not totally immune from government investigation. In December 2006 the meat-packing plants of Swift & Company were raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Nearly 1300 employees were arrested in a massive identity fraud sting. The workers had gained employment by using the stolen documentation of legitimate United States citizens.
