Two Capitol Hill Republicans are aiming to ban colleges and universities from hiring undocumented students as campus workers.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana are introducing legislation Tuesday tying a school's eligibility for federal funds on its compliance with federal law banning businesses from hiring students without legal immigration status.
The bill would also require all federally funded higher education institutions to implement E-Verify, a federal program that checks the immigration status of workers, the outlet reported.
The lawmakers drafted the new legislation after the University of California's announcement it would allow undocumented students to work on campus — and then paused the plan after pushback from the Biden administration, Politico first reported.
"Left-wing college administrators want to transform their campuses into sanctuary cities," Vance told the Free Beacon. "Their latest scheme at the University of California is the most lawless yet: ignore federal law and hire illegal immigrants. We cannot let American tax dollars fund illegal wages."
The University of California Board of Regents shelved the plan until after the November election — a move questioned by Vance and Banks.
Their bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 "to prohibit an institution of higher education that employs unauthorized aliens from receiving funds from Federal student assistance or Federal institutional aid and to require institutions of higher education to participate in the E-Verify Program."
Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Tom Cotton, R-Ark. and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., have co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., is a co-sponsor in the House.
"American universities receive tens of billions of dollars in federal funds every year," Banks told the news outlet. "Ensuring they're not violating the law, employing illegal aliens, and driving down wages for American workers is the least we can do."
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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