Speech #1030135190

Mr. President. the Senator from Wyoming introduced the Comprehensive Immigration and Asylum Reform Act of 1994 this morning. and made a lengthy statement with regard to the appropriateness and timeliness of that legislation which would address fraud and other inconsistencies in our immigration laws. I am very pleased to see that the Senator who has worked so hard in this area and who is so knowledgeable on this subject has seen fit to lay his legislation down. My statement this morning concerns the horror stories associated with some of the policies covering immigration. I think it is fair to say that a majority of my colleagues would agree that the legislative intent clearly is not being carried out with regard to the enforcement of regulatory mandates. Lot me share with you this morning. Mr. President. the story of a constituent of mine who was fined $15.000 last Tuesday for violating the immigration laws by routinely asking now employees for identification to prove that they were authorized to work in the United States. We are all aware of the concerns associated with illegal immigrants coming into this country to work. By law. the burden is on the employer to address this concern by requiring employees to provide identification. This company agreed to pay a civil penalty and change its practices in response to a lawsuit that was filed by the Justice Departments Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices. The suit accused the company in my State of asking new employees for a picture identification card and Social Security card to prove that they were authorized to work in this country. I am sure the President would agree this morning that those two documents would be what a reasonable businessman would consider adequate identification to verify employment eligibility. But the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 says that while employers must examine documents presented by new employees to verify eligibility for employment the employers cannot specify which of the various legally acceptable documents an employee must present. Now. Justice Department Special Counsel.