Bryant: ‘I plan to continue pushing for reasonable and fair immigration legislation’
JACKSON- Data shows the E-Verify legislation, part of Mississippi’s illegal immigration reform, is working well as more companies are participating in the system.
Yvonne Lee, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said a rise in the number of Mississippi employers who check the legal status of job applicants by using E-Verify, mirrors what they have seen in other states with similar legislation.
“The only thing they can attribute it to is the legislation,” Lee said.
So far in 2010, there have been 210,086 queries into the database, compared with the 107,093 queries made in fiscal 2008.
In fiscal 2007, prior to the passage of Senate Bill 2988 – Mississippi’s E-Verify law, there were only 26,409 inquiries. The federal Fiscal Year ends September 30.
Senate Bill 2988 took effect July 1, 2008, and requires employers to verify that the people they hire are legally authorized to be in the United States. The law will be phased in through 2011 based on employee numbers.
“When we passed comprehensive illegal immigration reform in 2008 it was done without adversely impacting law abiding citizens and employers,” said Lt. Governor Phil Bryant. “As Lt. Governor I will continue to help protect the citizens of Mississippi from the financial and criminal implications associated with illegal immigration.”
Employers with 250 or more employees were to register by July 1, 2008, those with 100-249 by July 1, 2009, and those employing 30-99 workers must register by July 1, 2010. Employers of fewer than 30 workers have until July 1, 2011 to comply.
On May 25, Bryant sent a letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer commending her for the leadership shown in protecting the citizens of Arizona. Bryant explained how the Mississippi Senate has twice passed legislation to require state law enforcement officers to verify the residency status of individuals they arrest.
“I plan to continue pushing for reasonable and fair immigration legislation to protect the legal residents of Mississippi and their jobs,” Bryant said. “In fact, I intend to fight for the adoption of the principles of SB 1070 when our legislature returns in January.”
E-Verify is an Internet-based service provided to employers by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that uses federal databases to verify that workers hired by companies are legally authorized to be employed.
Mississippi is one of fourteen states that have enacted E-Verify legislation. The E-Verify legislation was authored by Senator Michael Watson (R-Pascagoula).
Bryant Press
7/7/10
