Speech #1020081595

Mr. President. today I. along with Senator KENNEDY and several of my other colleagues. am introducing the Employer Sanctions Repeal Act of 1991. In my opinion. the employer sanctions and verification provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 [IRCA] have not successfully controlled illegal immigration. Illegal aliens continue to pour into this country. A cottage industry in counterfeit and fraudulent documents has flourished. and an increasingly lucrative black market in smuggling aliens has thrived. At the same time. some employers have engaged in illegal discrimination against Americans who look or sound foreign. or have foreignsounding names. in order to avoid potential lawsuits. fines. and jail sentences under IRCAs sanctions provisions.