Americans are rightly demanding that we secure our southern borders and hold employers accountable for hiring workers that are illegal. While Mexican legislators are worried about how Arizona’s new employment laws will impact their state government, American taxpayers have shouldered the burden of illegal immigrants for too long. 

I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 5596 which would extend the E-Verify program that is set to expire in November for 10 more years. E-Verify is a voluntary program that enables employers to verify the name, social security number, and alien identification number (for non-citizens) of newly hired employees. Every state in the nation has employers using this program and Arizona has made it mandatory for all employers.

Arizona is the busiest illegal gateway on the southern border. In fact, the Tucson sector has the largest number of illegal crossings in the entire nation, but the smallest percentage of prosecutions of criminal activity.  Congressman John Culberson of Texas is working aggressively to institute a zero tolerance policy along the southern border where everyone that is arrested is also prosecuted. I will do all I can to help in these efforts.

The United States is a land of immigrants and we welcome those who are here pursuing a better life. But they must do so legally. While we can’t solve our immigration problems overnight, we must begin by securing our borders and upholding the laws that we already have in place.