ACLU: E-Verify Bill Makes It Harder to Get a Job and Violates Privacy

September 21, 2011 9:15 pm


Media Contact
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
United States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee today completed its markup of the “Legal Work Force Act,” H.R. 2558, a measure that would require all employers to consult the E-Verify program before hiring a new worker. E-Verify is a series of connected databases listing everyone who is legally able to work in the United States.

“Given the way the system currently operates, if this measure is approved, 1.2 million new hires will have to wait in line at the Social Security Administration to fix government mistakes,” said Christopher Calabrese, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel. “Hundreds of thousands of them won’t succeed and will lose their job. That’s an additional burden Americans don’t need in this tough economic climate.

“It’s been a concern from the start that these databases will eventually extend past the employment realm,” continued Calabrese. “That fear is slowly becoming a reality. Unlike an earlier version, the bill has now been modified to remove the measure’s prohibition on using E-Verify data for other purposes – such as travel, financial or watch list information. E-Verify may quickly evolve into a national identity system, bringing E-Verify’s problems to travel, lending and many other parts of Americans’ lives.”

By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.

The Latest in Immigrants' Rights

ACLU's Vision

The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.

Learn More About Immigrants' Rights

Immigration Rights issue image

The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.