KENNEDY. DECONCINI. CRANSTON. and othersin this renewed effort to repeal the employer sanctions provisions in Federal immigration law. It has been 11h years Since the General Accounting Office issued its report detailing a widespread pattern of job discrimination in the implementation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. All indications are that the problem has only worsened since the GAO report was issued. According to the Department of Justice. the number of immigrationrelated discrimination charges filed increased 37 percent over the past year. and illegal immigration Is nearly as high as it was 5 years ago. before the employer sanctions provisions were enacted. Mr. President. the time has come to repeal employer sanctions and put an end to the intolerable form of discrimination these sanctions fosterdiscrimination based solely on the fact that a person looks foreign. In 1986. when I reluctantly voted for passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. I had hoped that increased discrimination would not be the result. I had hoped that by charging employers with the duty of enforcing our Nations immigration laws. the livelihood of many Americans would not be put at risk. But I. along with a majority of my colleagues. was wrong. Employer sanctions do not work. They must be abolished. and we must face our responsibilities to all the citizens and workers of this country. We must work together to put the duty of enforcing our Nations immigration laws where it belongs: with the Federal Government. If a majority of our colleagues. or the President. do not yet agree with us. we must not give up. We must be committed to ensuring that all Americans. regardless of the color of their skin. are guaranteed the basic right to seek and hold a job.
Identified stereotypes
People who look foreign are more likely to be illegal immigrants.