Opinion: How employers could stop illegal immigration in seconds

Published by:  MarketWatch Nov. 4, 2016

Written by:  Mark Krikorian - Center for Immigration Studies

Government’s free E-Verify takes just seconds to determine if a worker is here illegally, so why isn’t it mandatory?

Whatever you think of Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall on the Mexican border, there’s another wall we can complete right now: E-Verify.

That’s the name of the free online system that enables employers to check whether the people they hire are telling the truth about who they are. By entering the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of the new hire — something employers already have to collect — they get an answer in seconds about whether the person is an illegal immigrant or not.

This matters because jobs are the main reason foreigners sneak into the United States (or overstay visitor visas). And the large majority of the estimated 11 million illegals work on the books. So the harder it is for an illegal immigrant to get a job, especially an on-the-books job, the less appealing it will be to sneak in or overstay.

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