Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 6633. the EVerify Amendment Act. EVerify is an Internetbased system that can be used to verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. It does so by checking the workers Social Security number and citizenship status against the Social Security database. For noncitizens. it also checks work authorization status against a separate Department of Homeland Security database. EVerity. formerly known as Basic Pilot. was one of the recommendations to come out of the 1995 Task Force on Immigration Reform. which I chaired. While I support this legislation. I also firmly believe EVerity participation should be mandatory for all employers throughout the country. We know that most illegal immigrants come to this country looking for work. If they are unable to find and hold jobs. most will go home on their own. Even more important. when they learn that finding jobs in the United States is more difficult. other illegal workers will be less likely to come to this country in the first place. EVerify is currently used by more than 75.000 employers. Almost everyone authorized to work in the United States is immediately verified by the system. Only about onehalf of 1 percent of employees queried who are actually eligible to work in the United States receive a "tentative nonconfirmation." But this system gives them the opportunity to correct their information and ensure their tax and Social Security records are accurate.
Identified stereotypes
Generalization that most illegal immigrants come to the country looking for work.