The newly created E-Verify program forces employers not only to help the US government track undocumented workers but to track all workers and report them to the government — US citizens, people of every nationality.
The E-Verify program — so far voluntary — encourages employers to use an Internet connection to the US government immediately to verify work status of every new employee. This voluntary program will undoubtedly be expanded and become mandatory.
Every person in the US is threatened by this tight government tracking of people. As we move towards fascism, the US government is putting into place a tracking system that would have made the German Nazis smile as they planned the interment of the Jews. With the government under complete corporate control and heading towards fascism, requiring all employers to become government agents is incredibly dangerous.
Gradually, the US government has worked to turn private employers into immigration agents. Even employers who do not want to cooperate with deportation programs are being forced to act as reluctant ICE agents.
The first step in this process occurred with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 which prohibits employers from hiring anyone, even US citizens, without verifying their identity and legal eligibility to work by filling out a Form I-9. That “reform” occurred under Democratic President Bill Clinton but is the result of both political parties joining forces. Employers had to retain the I-9 form, but didn’t have immediately to send it to the government.
As the economic crisis has deepened, efforts to throw the blame onto undocumented workers increased.
Many decent people who have jobs requiring them to participate in this wrongful governmental spying program don’t want to do this. But there are criminal and civil penalties for not obeying the law. As well as being subject to criminal prosecution, an employer can be fined $375 to $3,200 for hiring workers knowing they are not authorized to work in the US.
Even so, objecting to serving as immigration agents, Anglo US citizens do what they can to resist this law. One employment manager in Nevada reluctantly turned in the documents of one worker, Jose, knowing the documents wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny. They lived in a small town, and she eventually knew when ICE would be coming for Jose. So she ensured he leave the company, and she got him a job at another company — of course, not a secure job for Jose, as the new employer would also be forced to verify his documents.
Jose’s condition is a good example of how the standard of living of the undocumented worker is being pushed down, even further. By them leaving a job every time their status is checked and going to find another job, they’re always reduced to entry-level workers or to be paid under the table. This situation affects all workers because now all need to compete with the wages of these workers. The solution is not to get rid of the undocumented workers but to fight against programs such as E-verify that pit workers against workers and strengthen capital.
