Burning Atlanta

This is a very good thing. This should be the law of the land. That EVERY employer use the E-verify system. No, it's notperfect but it would help to cut down the number of illegals working and help prosecute the employers that want to cheat.

 Boot them

Private employers would be forced to verify the immigration status of new workers under a bill that House lawmakers passed yesterday to discourage illegal immigration.

The bill, adopted 53 to 17, would force all companies in Rhode Island to use a federal database called E-Verify to determine whether new hires are in the country legally.

Companies that refuse could face a fine up to $5,000.

Last month Governor Don Carcieri signed an order directing executive branch agencies and companies doing business with the state to use the same database to screen their employees.

His order, which set off a fierce debate, also requires State Police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.

Besides Rhode Island, at least 11 other states require public or private employers to use the E-Verify system, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Representative Jon D. Brien, a Democrat from Woonsocket and the bill's sponsor, said it complements Carcieri's order. Woo-hoo. A democrat sponsored this. There is hope for this nation.

He said he fears that business owners willing to employ illegal immigrants can pay their workers below minimum wage, increase their profits, and undercut competitors who obey employment laws.

"The workforce in the state of Rhode Island should be a legal one," Brien said.

Employees who are rejected have eight business days to appeal the decision and contact federal authorities before they must be fired, said Bill Wright, a spokesman for the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. I think this is wrong. I think they should be given more time to straighten it out. The "No-match" letter gives 90 days. Why not 30 days?