[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INCLUDE E-VERIFY IN IMMIGRATION REFORM PACKAGE

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Congress should include an E-Verify 
employment eligibility verification program in any immigration reform 
package. E-Verify is the most effective deterrent to illegal 
immigration because it shuts off the jobs magnet and saves jobs for 
hardworking Americans. It is no surprise that E-Verify receives the 
most public support--82 percent--of any proposed immigration reform.
  The E-Verify legislation, the Legal Workforce Act, approved by the 
Judiciary Committee, has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
and immigration enforcement groups. It provides employers with an 
efficient and workable system to verify their employees' work status, 
and the requirement for employers to verify their workers only applies 
to new employees, not existing workers.
  Members should hesitate to support any immigration reform package 
that does not include requiring employers to use E-Verify. Congress 
should put the interests of American workers first.

                          ____________________