Congressman Brandon Gill (R-Flower Mound, TX) introduced the “New IDEA Act,” which takes extra steps to ensure businesses aren’t hiring undocumented immigrants, rather American employees.
“It’s time to dismantle the jobs magnet driving illegal immigration and ensure that unscrupulous employers do not benefit from hiring illegal aliens over American citizens,” said Gill. “We shouldn’t be doling out American jobs to illegal aliens from foreign nations. My legislation promotes a thriving economy and encourages E-verify use so law abiding Americans can make an honest living, earn benefits and run successful businesses that serve their communities.”
The Act establishes mandatory data-sharing between the IRS, Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to identify and remove undocumented immigrants from the workforce, according to a press release from Gill’s team.
It aims to do that by strengthening and permanently authorizing E-Verify, which gives employers legal protection when relying on results and allowing job offers to be contingent on the final verification.
According to its website, E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information entered by an employer from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm if the employee is eligible to work in the U.S.
As of now, the E-Verify process is not mandatory in Texas, except for public contractors and state agencies, according to I-9 intelligence.
“The New Idea Act is a fantastic way to encourage U.S. employers to use E-Verify in order to avoid significant back taxes and fines for hiring illegal aliens,” said Rosemary Jenks. “The vast majority of illegal aliens come to the United States to work. By leveraging the IRS to assist in enforcing the law that prohibits the employment of illegal aliens, Representative Gill is creating a powerful disincentive for employers to hire them.”
In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed into federal law, making it illegal for a business to hire an undocumented worker. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services says violators could be fined or imprisoned.
Gill’s bill would prevent businesses from claiming tax deductions for wages paid to undocumented immigrants, removing a financial incentive to hire them.
Right now, according to the IRS, payments to undocumented immigrants are subject to the same tax withholding and reporting requirements as payments to authorized workers. So, employers can deduct employee wages and benefits, whether they are illegal or not, which is what Gill hopes to address.
“Ending the unlawful employment of illegal aliens is fundamentally important to reducing illegal immigration,” said Joe Chatham, director of government relations at Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a group that has showed support for the bill. “The measures included in this bill make crucial strides toward achieving that goal by closing tax deduction loopholes and cracking down on companies employing illegal aliens. FAIR applauds Congressman Gill for leading with this bill, working to protect American workers, and holding employers accountable.”
