Protecting American Jobs

On Friday, I protested a position taken by the Secretary of Homeland Security that legalizing illegal immigrants will help the economy recover.  Right now, Americans are out of work at near-record levels.  We need to focus on creating jobs and getting people back to work, not on new controversial policies that would jeopardize opportunities for unemployed Americans.

A letter I sent with 11 other senators to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that legalizing illegal workers “would only exacerbate the unfair competition American workers currently face as they struggle to find jobs.”  She made her remarks during a speech at the Center for American Progress.  We haven’t gotten a response yet to our letter.

The administration has diluted immigration enforcement initiatives throughout the year.  Since January, it has rescinded the “no-match” rule that clarified employers’ legal obligation to conduct due diligence when they are confronted with evidence that a significant number of their employees may have used false or stolen Social Security numbers to obtain work.  The Obama administration repeatedly delayed, and then weakened, the rule requiring contractors of the federal government to use E-Verify, a program to help certify that employees hired by companies are legally authorized to work in the United States.

In addition, the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to arrest and detain illegal aliens, has been changed dramatically to reduce its effectiveness in many communities.  The worksite enforcement strategy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has replaced worksite enforcement with administrative paperwork audits, which has led to a dramatic reduction in arrests and deportation of those who are working illegally in this country.