The Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates for lower immigration, is calling on President Donald Trump to nationalize the E-Verify system used by the federal government to check the legal status of potential workers.
“There are many changes that could be made to the immigration laws that would enable the United States to gain control over its illegal population,” former judge Andrew R. Arthur, now a legal expert for CIS, told the Washington Examiner.
“Of all of the proposals, however, E-Verify would be the most effective at curbing illegal entries and limiting nonimmigrant overstays. And the president could likely make it mandatory through executive action.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported earlier this month that arrests related to people illegally working in the U.S. have jumped 700 percent under Trump, a total of 2,304 people in fiscal year 2018.
“Employers who use an illegal workforce as part of their business model put businesses that do follow the law at a competitive disadvantage,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Executive Associate Director Derek N. Benner in a statement in mid-December. “These laws help protect jobs for U.S. citizens and others who are lawfully employed, reduce the incentive of illegal migration, eliminate unfair competitive advantages for companies that hire an illegal workforce, and ultimately help strengthen public safety and national security.”