A bill that would cripple any chance of passing real immigration reform during this Congress by forcing a tough vote on enforcement-only legislation is getting closer to the House floor. 

SAF Senior Director of Government Relations Lin Schmale says that SAF strongly opposes the SAVE Act and is urging members to write their member of Congress voicing opposition to it.

If this enforcement-only bill is put to a vote, the irony is that while many members of Congress favor comprehensive immigration reform, they will appear weak on reform if they do not vote in favor of SAVE Act.

"As 'enforcement-only,'" Schmale points out, "it would deprive agriculture [and other industries] of workers without giving them a way to address the labor shortage and without addressing our overall immigration problem."

Schmale adds that the SAVE Act would require employers to use the unproven electronic verification system to verify the Social Security numbers of all current workers as well as of new hires.

"SAF does not believe the electronic verification system is ready for that load, which will leave you, as an employer, in jeopardy," Schmale says. The bill would make the E-Verify program mandatory for all employers, but the Social Security Administration database on which E-Verify is based has a four to five percent inaccuracy rate. SAF fears that this mandatory requirement will significantly harm the floral industry.

SAF's position is that immigration reform must include three components: earned legalization, reform of the H-2A program, and reasonable and practical enforcement mechanisms.

The bill's sponsors have 185 signatures and only need 33 more to move the bill to a floor vote. If approved, the Senate would likely act on an identical bill.

"Please take this opportunity to let your Representative know that you oppose the SAVE Act (H.R. 4088), because it is an enforcement-only approach to the immigration issue that would cripple businesses and hurt agriculture," urges Schmale. To write your Representative, go to www.safnow.org and follow the "Write to Congress" link at the top right hand corner of the page.

For additional information, contact Lin Schmale, lschmale@safnow.org, or Brian Freedman, bfreedman@safnow.org.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 

Previous Article    Next Article