Guns and Crime

Why E-Verify didn’t work at poultry plants in Mississippi and how to fix it

Published

3 months ago

August 16, 2019

Why E-Verify didnt work at poultry plants in Mississippi and how to fix it

Many conservatives (myself included at one point) believe E-Verify is the silver bullet in protecting jobs from being taken by illegal immigrants. Some states, including Mississippi, mandate its use for new hires. But as the ICE raids on poultry plants in Mississippi demonstrated, the system isn’t being used 100% of the time as mandated and when it’s used, it doesn’t always work.

There are loopholes illegal immigrants can use to circumvent the system. It doesn’t check on the legality of an individual, only whether or not their paperwork is acceptable. But if that paperwork is being shared or was taken from someone else, including the deceased, then the system won’t flag them. It should.

The reason 680 people were apprehended in a single day last week is because the E-Verify system isn’t foolproof and isn’t being used 100% of the time. This needs to be fixed immediately.

According to the Washington Post:

In Mississippi, the companies — Koch Foods, Peco Foods, PH Food, A&B and Pearl River Foods — intentionally hired Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants who are not authorized to work in the United States “for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain,” according to search-warrant affidavits unsealed in federal court after the Aug. 7 raids.

Investigators allege that numerous employees at Pearl River Foods had submitted stolen names and Social Security numbers, including those belonging to the deceased.

At times, companies did not appear to have made an effort to check certain workers’ information in the online E-Verify system, according to the affidavits.

How to fix it

There are many things that need to be revamped in order for E-Verify to work properly. First and foremost, it needs to be updated through cross-referencing other databases, most notably whatever database the IRS uses to determine that someone is deceased. If the data is inaccurate or dated, it presents an opening for illegal immigrants to exploit.

Second, the laws need to be enforced. If a state mandates the use of E-Verify, then businesses caught not using it should be punished. Right now, that’s just not happening. They’re not even getting a slap on the wrist in most cases. If they’re caught like the poultry plants in Mississippi, then they should be placed on a watch list and progressively punished for their lack of compliance through increasing fines and risk of losing state business licenses.

But the most important change must be in the way the system is used. We have technology available to flag irregularities. If a person’s documents are being used repeatedly at multiple locations in a short time, that should prompt law enforcement to investigate. Chances are good they’ll be able to identify and apprehend illegal immigrants up until the point word gets out their scam is no longer working.

The promise of employment is the key driving force behind the massive migrant problem that’s causing our border crisis. Take away the jobs and many migrants will stop coming. We have the tools. Let’s use them.

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