Speech #1010178972

GAO once again has found that nearly 20 percent of all employers unwittingly are practicing discrimination. They are not patrol agents. They are not border enforcement guards. Employers are employers and they are trying to create Jobs and make a profit. But when we give them an extra burden of determining who is legal and who is not legal. of course there are going to be discrimination and other problems. Has there not been already employment discrimination? How do we know that it is the immigration bill that causes discrimination? The GAO report only asked employers about the discriminatory practices established as a direct result of the immigration bill. Many types of discrimination such as refusing to accept certain types of temporary work permits would never have occurred within the IRCA verification requirements. Would not more education of employers reduce discrimination? The answer is basically unknown. It is unknown how much employer discrimination as a result of the immigration bill is caused by employer confusion and how much Is intentional. The GAO reported that employer awareness of the immigration bill has increased from 1988 to 1989. but the understanding actually decreased. Further. employer education is not going to eliminate the high percentage of employers that continue to engage in discriminatory practices. Can we not just strengthen the remedies against employer discrimination some ask.