Vice President Kamala took her anti-GOP act on the road with a Monday visit to a Latino conference in Chicago – unfortunately, she forgot to pack all her facts.
Harris told the UnidosUS 2023 Annual Conference that “extremist so-called leaders have a blueprint to attack hard-won freedoms and rights and to do it state by state as part of their national agenda.”
“Across our nation, extremist so-called leaders demonize, target and attack immigrants,” she said.
As The Hill reported, Harris pointed to a new law in Florida that requires companies to determine an employee’s immigration status and puts penalties on hiring undocumented immigrants. The vice president called it “a law designed to make people live in fear.”
In a word, no.
The legislation signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes using E-Verify mandatory for any employer with 25 or more employees, imposes enforceable penalties for those employing illegal immigrants, and enhances penalties for human smuggling.
DeSantis did not invent E-Verify, he’s enforcing it.
E-Verify has been around since 1996, and it’s operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). With it, employers can confirm the employment eligibility of new hires.
The key word is eligibility, because the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants. It also established financial and other penalties for companies that employed illegal immigrants.
This isn’t a new, draconian swipe at immigrants cooked up by a GOP cabal – it’s a law that’s been on the books for 37 years. E-Verify is a tool to help employers comply – that’s been around for 27 years.
But it’s voluntary for most employers, though others may be required by state law or federal regulation to use it.
Harris is vexed because DeSantis is using E-Verify to enforce the 1986 law. And enforcing a law you don’t like is an outrage, according to progressives.
The vice president called on Hispanic leaders to unite against what she called extremist policies, i.e. vote for Biden/Harris in 2024.
it’s interesting that she chose Chicago – why not make a stop in New York City? Immigration is a hot topic there, just not in the way that conforms to Harris’ narrative.
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said his city is inundated with asylum-seekers and that New York has no more room to house them.
As Politico reported, last week he issued a new directive: single adult migrants will only be allowed to stay in the city’s shelter system for 60 days, after which they will be required to reapply for a slot. There are about 55,000 migrants in the system, making up slightly more than half of the total shelter population, a record amount.
Adams is also planning to hand out fliers to asylum-seekers at the border discouraging them from coming to New York City in the first place.
If Adams was a Republican, Harris would no doubt blast him. But he, like DeSantis, is trying to take substantive steps to keep their city and state working for everyone.
We need leadership that will do the same for the country.
