Conservatives And Libertarians Join Liberals To Oppose E-Verify Bill

Submitted by AndyBoyBlue

The bill, introduced by Republican Lamar Smith of Texas, would require employers to use a database to see if workers are eligible to work in the United States.

Last week, a coalition of regional and national groups that champion less government, privacy protection and small-business interests wrote a letter to members of Congress urging them to vote against the bill, and took out an ad on Politico. The coalition is using social media to spread the word to affiliated members. It plans to start airing radio spots in some districts.

The letter said requiring the use of E-Verify, which is currently voluntary, would create a de facto national identification system, infringe on rights such as the freedom to seek work, cripple small businesses, turn employers into immigration agents and encourage identity theft. The letter calls the bill a “job killer” that will cost employers millions of dollars. Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation and one of the letter’s 27 signatories, said that his movement strongly opposed illegal immigration but that “it’s not private enterprise’s job to enforce immigration.”

By: