King Bill Would Punish Employers for Hiring Illegal Workers

Iowa Rep. Steve King, the House Republicans’ probable point man on immigration wants to take away employers’ tax deductions for the wages of any illegal immigrants they hire, The New York Times reports. The proposal from King, the top candidate to chair a key immigration panel, would reverse the federal government’s existing policy on privacy by requiring the Internal Revenue Service to share data on taxpayers with the Department of Homeland Security.

King said his bill, if passed, “opens up lots of jobs for Americans.” He also might seek funds for more border fencing, saying, “Build it until they stop going around the end — that would be my standard.”

King opposes the DREAM Act, which would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants if they choose college or military service. The House passed that bill last week in the ongoing lame-duck session — the last before Democrats cede majority control to Republicans — but its fate in the Senate is less certain.