Mandatory E-Verify: Not Too High A Price For Necessary Immigration Reform

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Laura Murphy and Fred Smith of the ACLU and Competitive Enterprise Institute, respectively, warned against the dangers of a mandatory E-Verify system. They argued that the E-Verify system invades the privacy of the employees whose data is run through the system and that the E-Verify verification process effectively lumps everyone into the category of "illegal" until proven otherwise ("guilty" until proven "innocent"). They also are fearful that E-Verify could soon be used for a variety of other non-work related purposes.

I disagree with their conclusions. And I think it is unrealistic to secure comprehensive immigration reform without some type of mandatory employment verification system.