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Return to Article: Bush orders contractors to check employees' legal status

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  It's funny to me that this article was published shortly after my having a conversation about how to prevent this from happening again when the new requirement was needed. I told staff that this should not have been happening and that the contractor, who's employees were illegals, was in violation. Thank you to the security company (contractors mind you) who discovered this. Never mind the fact that the company who supplied the staff (whom shall remain nameless) does millions of dollars of business with the government, is a very, very large business and knows better. They do it until they get caught as such was the case here. I send kudos out to those who have publicly addressed this issue.

  Treena Posted June 12, 2008 8:47 AM
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  My response to the contractor is thus; the opinion of this government employee is that you've built the reputation and are now reaping the benefits accordingly. Had contractors not broken the laws of our nation hiring illegals initially then you wouldn't be complaining now. While I've had the priviledge to work with good contractors that believe in what their doing and make regular sacrifices to meet their customers needs, many more that I've worked with are amoral animals that would sell their Mothers on the street corner for a nickel a throw. The issue Sir is in the breaking of our nations laws and the impact this has on every Americans life )except those that can afford to isolate themselves from the heaving sweaty masses). While I favor expansion of legal immigration(those skills that benefit all Americans). I do have an issue with unregulated, undocumented workers( Our Hit and Run, DUI, crime stats are rising accordingly with the increase of the illegal worker issue). And Sir, without employers giving them jobs they wouldn't find this the place to work while they're building their retirement homes back south of the border. For those willing to work, follow the laws, LEARN ENGLISH, and become Americans legally....Welcome...., ALL OTHERS, (allow me to be the ugly american) GOODBYE.

  rick Posted June 12, 2008 7:26 AM
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  This is called in politics "Window Dressing!"

  William Tell Posted June 12, 2008 7:00 AM
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  The Pew Research Center estimates that U.S. population will increase by 48% from 2005 to 2050 and 82% of that increase will come from immigrants who arrive during that period and the descendants of those immigrants. The illegals are a major part of that increase. It will take every legal tool available to stem the tide.

  Tom T Posted June 11, 2008 7:19 PM
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  It's about time! Like N. Carolina, Virginia is sitting on their hands, crying the illegal aliens contribute to the welfare of the state. Wouldn't all states benefit if the illegal aliens could be given worker status while working to become Naturalized citizens? The alien would have benefits and not be taken advantage of by employer & others. The Naturalization process needs to be shortened to 2-3 years instead of 15, which is ridiculous. No amnesty; let them earn it.

  I do not like the fact of the illegal aliens children born in the US are immediate citizens. When a military family has children in a foreign country the children are still American citizens; the same should apply for the illegal alien's children, but a child born in Virginia must have a Social Security number before it is released from the hospital. What a ripoff! We will have an overpopulation of illegal alien children who will be allowed food stamps, medical services, and education all at the expense of the US citizens. The US cannot afford to allow these aliens to receive Welfare, Social Security, and Medicaid when these programs were set up by and for the US citizens.

  If each Courthouse/Municipal Center would set up an office for the illegal aliens to register without fear of deportation we could document and assist the illegal aliens to become US citizens, taking into consideration of the length of time the alien and family has been in the US. Once the illegal alien worker has become a US citizen allow their immediate family to come to the US should be considered at a quota. This does not mean brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, in-laws, etc. If the adult child is over 18 they must apply to come to the US and be put in a special category to be considered at a limited quota.

  The US can get control of this illegal immigration situation and provide benefits to the alien, the individual states, and the US. We can capture the tax revenue provided by the aliens for the benefit of everybody. As a Naturalized citizen aliens lives will improve and be allowed the same protection & the benefits as an US citizen.

  American Taxpayer Posted June 11, 2008 12:32 PM
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  We should be realistic, the people we are call illegle immigrants are forgein nationals in our country illegally. They are not immigrants as those who enter this country leagally.

  egel Posted June 11, 2008 11:03 AM
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  The directive doesnt go far enough, not only do we need the e verify all of the SS3's need to be bounced against the SS data base. Identity theft is a crime and is going on all to often

  Dan ketter Posted June 11, 2008 10:07 AM
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  As a contractor I am tired of continually being judged guilty until proven innocent. Admittedly there are many crooks out there, but there are many more honest people just trying to make a living. The more regulation is piled on, the more small contractors will be driven out of the government business, leaving only the big boys who can afford compliance departments - and then where is your competition? The government says it likes the capitalist system but it seems this is only lip service. Perhaps it would be better if the government just started manufacturing their own goods and quit whining.

  TK Posted June 11, 2008 9:32 AM
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  About time. Now maybe State and Local Gov'ts will do the same. Time to marginalize illegal aliens and send them home to work and raise wages for American workers to do the same jobs.

  Dean O Posted June 11, 2008 8:06 AM
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  Well, its good to see that contractors are still within their operating perimeters. Why comply when you can obfuscate or lie? The unpleasant truth is that contractors love illegal labor for its ability to increase profits and hate anything that might change that dynamic. While no system will be perfect(what in government is?)e-verify allows for the employer to challenge and correct any discrepancies that may occur. It's the ability for an audit of employee status that employers dislike and why we in South Carolina had such a hard time forcing our legislative body to include it with the illegal immigration laws recently passed. One thing about South Carolina...Opposite of California. California has detected and adressed some of the concerns over illegal immigration, South Carolina...cheap labor good and since business contributes little to the maintenace of internal structure any demand for illegal immigration control is seen as a personal attack. Ya just gotta love those contractors...

  rick Posted June 11, 2008 7:04 AM
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  There are 4 issues here.

  1. It is correct that this will cost some employers some money to do this. However, illegal alien workers cost all of us money and do take jobs that Americans will do. The net savings to society by filtering out illegal aliens are worth the effort, particularly to our medical and educational resources and state and local governments.

  2. If a worker who is a citizen or a legal alien is run through the e-verify system it is a good thing for them. If there is any question about who is getting credit for their work or if their identity is being misused this provides a chance to fix the record. Legal aliens in particular are often victims of identity theft.

  3. The fact that this is even being discussed 7 years after the 9-11 hijackers were working in the US is insane and begs the question of whether or not national suicide is an acceptable option. It is clearly proof that lobbyists decide what is good for America. The rest of us remain an afterthought.

  4. The mainstream media and all our presidential candidates have gone silent on the issue of protecting the value of American citizenship. Govexec is one of the few places keeping it alive. Thank you, Chris Strom and the others who keep these issues in the news.

  Jim Kaley Posted June 10, 2008 6:16 PM