The latest Harvard/Harris poll shows — for the first time — shows that a majority of Democrats say their own party stands against open borders. Most Americans now agree on something that once divided us: our immigration laws should be enforced, and the workers who follow the rules deserve to be protected. I’m part of that majority and hope you are, too.

H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, would deliver one of the reforms those voters most want to see: mandatory nationwide E-Verify. By requiring every employer to confirm that new hires are legally authorized to work, E-Verify would shut off the jobs magnet that draws illegal labor into the shadows, where unscrupulous employers underpay and exploit it at the expense of American wages. It would provide the kind of concrete worker protection that never should have become a partisan issue.

We can’t allow another border crisis. Now that House leadership is getting serious about bringing a border security bill to the floor, I hope you will demonstrate that discouraging illegal immigration and protecting American workers are not partisan goals — they are American ones. I hope you will vote to support it and ensure that E-Verify is part of the package. It is time to make our immigration system work for the workers who built this country.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Sent to:
Democrat U.S. Representatives