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Immigration Bill Alarms Employers

Businesses call employee verification program an unfair burden

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2007 5:42 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The new immigration bill now on the Senate floor puts a massive burden on employers, the Wall Street Journal reports, requiring them to verify the papers of all 146 million workers in the US, and stiffening penalties for violations. "It's like throwing a huge net to catch a few minnows," a Chamber of Commerce VP said.

The bill raises fines for hiring an illegal worker from $250 to $5,000, and makes CEOs responsible for compliance. The measure was also assailed by civil liberties advocates wary that eligibility checks will require workers to produce ID with fingerprints or other biometric data. "The threat this poses to our privacy is extraordinary," said one ACLU spokesman. 

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., takes a question at an immigration news conference Friday, May 18, 2007, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., takes a question at an immigration news conference Friday, May 18, 2007, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)   (Associated Press)
A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrols along the fence line of the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., on Thursday, April 6, 2006. (AP Photo/Khampha Bouaphanh)
A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrols along the fence line of the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., on Thursday, April 6, 2006. (AP Photo/Khampha Bouaphanh)   (Associated Press)
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New Immigration Law

What the new immigration legislation says
Wall Street Journal

Senate critics vowing changes in immigration bill
New York Times

Senate delays action on bill
Associated Press

 
immigration • immigration reform • privacy • legislation • reform • employer

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