Worker Status Checks To Start

Wall Street Journal:

Agencies across the federal government on Tuesday will start ordering contractors to use an electronic system to verify whether their employees are eligible to work in the U.S.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[DallasDon]

For those of you who have chosen to attack me personally, I say:

Your claims of racism are the ineffectual cries of someone on the loosing end of an argument. Our immigration laws are not based on racism, but rather justice and equality.

All citizens should be appalled by your blatant disregard for law and order. No one should gain a benefit through criminal enterprise.

Your endorsement of criminal behavior is daibolically audacious. It makes one curious about your true allegiance.

Make no mistake, you and people like you, will be judged to be on the wrong side of the law. You are in for a rather rude awakening as long overdue immigration enforcement begins in earnest and legal deportations occur.

Stuff your claims of racism and obey the laws of the land.

[clueless JD]

Our immigration laws are fair and should be enforced. I don't see more than one or two comments otherwise.

The people you have provoked on this thread are responding to your misinformation and the racist tone that colors it.

[miamia]

How can people find out if their identity is being stolen?

[GardenerNorCal]

I'd like to see a break down of those projected additional costs to employers. This would be like entering the information already collected in the I9 form which is already mandatory on a government website and having the information confirmed. Any costs would be minimal.

I can't think of any firm that is receiving Federal Funds that doesn't have access to a computer somehow, either inhouse or through whoever is handling their current bookkeeping.

Please, break out those costs so we can have reasoned discussion. I would think since domestic security should be a concern that this would have already been implemented.

[rich3324]

This comes at at time when many contractor jobs in DoD are converting to government service.

[mulegino]

There are few blameless parties to this situation-employers, of course, will hire cheap, and politicians will look the other way at the hiring of undocumented workers-GOP, Inc. types because they are "pro-business" (i.e., anti-labor) and the Dems, especially Dems from urban congressional districts who don't want to upset a major constituency of theirs, often represented by "latino" pressure groups.
The number one (1) guilty party in this in terms of both influence and impact is, however, the Mexican government. El Gobierno de Mexico has long actively encouraged mass migration to the U.S. (making no distinction between legal or illegal immigration). Back in the days of the PRI's soft dictatorship it was even worse-the PRI knew that mass migration was a safety valve which served the two fold purpose of easing the unrest caused by massive unemployment and social displacement, as well as propping up the sagging Mexican economy with remittances from the U.S. (The PRI also had a hand in creating the powerful drug cartels which are now tearing Mexico apart).

[HankRearden]

Perhaps the number one guilty party in this situation is the ILLEGAL Immigrant. Now that is a novel thought.

[jonmonbuckeye]

If Mexico and Latin America were smart, they would nationalize all U.S. interests in their country, annul all one-sided trade agreements, and work with other Latin American countries to put an oil embargo in place against the US. Maybe Chavez is right.

[eagleclaw]

Maybe Chavez is right and you should move to Venezuela and tell him so.

No matter how YOU may feel about the LAW it has no bearing on its implementation, even though this has been a long time in coming.

[jonmonbuckeye]

I want to take this one step further- We need to make it mandatory that any white person can stop and ask to see anyone's identification if they are not of the white ethnicity. C'mon white people, let's reclaim our heritage! Then let's require everyone to be Christian too!

[glockman]

This is why reasoned debate never gets anywhere.

Too many stupid people squawking in the background.

[jonmonbuckeye]

Read some of the responses. That is why I posted what I did. Now go wrap yourself up in your flag.

[EuripidesTheYounger]

You either support the laws of this country or you don't. While I support humanitarian aid for those who find themselves between a rock and a hard place, I cannot in good conscience make a case for illegal aliens. I have yet to see any 'amnesty' proposals that work to prevent continued disrespect for our nation's laws and legal citizens. I support proposals such as this, proposals which place the burden of proof on those doing the hiring--in the same way that going after the pusher and supplier instead of the user is a better idea to rid our nation of illegal drugs.

[jonmonbuckeye]

Respect the laws of this country? No way. I don't support any law that exploits or condones racism as this law does. As for your example for drugs, you won't like my proposal. I believe in executing the user- publicly. It is only fair, because you don't see the people and communities that have been destroyed because of them.

[glockman]

"I don't support any law that exploits or condones racism as this law does."

Please explain with specifics exactly how it's racist to require certain steps be met for citizenship.

And by the way, every country on the planet has laws regarding how to properly enter a country and seek citizenship.

[fairness4all]

Re: "... executing the user-publicly."

__________________________

You're advocating the death penalty for someone who smoked a joint?

What would you suggest as a penalty for jaywalking - a public flogging?

[Cautious]

"The Chamber argues that given the state of the economy, this isn't the time to add more costs to U.S. businesses."

Given the state of the economy, I think this might be a good time to give jobs to people who are legally eligible, as opposed to those who aren't. Just seems logical to me. Maybe U.S. workers need to be protected from U.S.business, and that should just be part of the cost of doing business, like minimum wage and basic things like that.

[lauram]

Economy's good? US Chamber says can't add any costs that would slow the gangbusters economy.

Economy's bad? US Chamber says can't add any costs that would hurt the poor economy.

US Chamber - always looking out for us (er, I mean themselves)

But I do love to remind my fundie relatives of the US Chamber's stance on this when they start harping about illegal immigration. It makes their heads explode to have to argue both sides of this one.

[Deaninphilly]

Seems some of these big contractors are going to see some of their millions in profits of taxpayer money drop. The up side is we'll see jobs for legal citizens increase, about time.

[DallasDon]

It's time for our government and businesses to stop coddleling immigrants and illegals who don't speak or read english.

I remember a time when there was no message that said "Press # for spanish. Press # for english."
I remember a time when government documents were only printed in english.

We bear the burden of ESL classes. We we bear the cost of providing translators in our courts, transportation, law enforcement, education, employment and health care.

If you want to be an American citizen assimilate to the American culture.

The only government benefit for illegals that I'm willing to pay for is a fair trial and swift deportation.

[Luvial]

Don't worry. Someday the majority in the US will speak Spanish and then English-only speakers will be hunted down and deported.

[DallasDon]

Never gonna happen.

[arizonabay]

Don't be suprised if some of you have a job or your kids or that late great aunt in Seattle that you didn't know about, and you live in and work in Boston. You know all thoses identity thieves, well they will be selling info to employers now who want to keep thier cheap labor.

[DallasDon]

Well it's about freaking time! Enforce ALL employment and immigration laws. NOW.

[clearwaterclearmind]

thank goodness. now if we can only keep a handle on who's "eligible".

[DallasDon]

I agree clearwaterclearmind. I'd go a step further and cut government benefits to ALL who are not here legally.

[clueless JD]

Enlighten us. What government benefits do people not here legally receive?

[clueless JD]

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants/

[seattle music]

This is excellent news. I'm one progressive voter who believes in 100% legal immigration and 0% illegal immigration.

Let's get on with it.