Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he would oppose a GOP-led border security bill over the inclusion of E-Verify.
The bill, HR 2, would restart construction on the border wall, reimplement President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, end catch-and-release, and mandate E-Verify, a system that allows businesses to determine worker eligibility for foreign and U.S. citizens.
Massie explained that he opposes E-Verify’s inclusion in the bill because it gives the “federal government more power over you.”
If, heaven forbid, the United States government ever adopts a social credit score, National E-Verify is one more tool they can use to prevent honest people from being part of society.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 7, 2023
Believe what you will, but it will have little impact on illegal immigration into this country.
National E-verify bill contains vague references to two pilot programs of non-photographic technology you must use to prove your identity to DHS in order to get a job.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 9, 2023
What is it? Fingerprints? DNA? Retina? Why not just say it in the bill? Is E-Verify actually Patriot Act 2.0? pic.twitter.com/0vKxxkWiM3
If E-Verify (background check system) is twice as accurate as NICS (background check system), mandating it federally will cause grave problems for tens of thousands of honest Americans.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 9, 2023
NICS results in roughly 100,000 false denials each year, with only 12 federal prosecutions.
Republicans are about to make a huge mistake.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 7, 2023
Biden forced millions of Americans to take VACCINES by threatening their JOBS, and turning EMPLOYERS into enforcers.
Imagine giving Biden the ultimate on/off switch for EMPLOYMENT called E-verify.
Might as well call it V-verify.
GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington also has concerns about the bill's E-Verify provisions, while Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw said he opposes the legislation over its failure to address cartels.
Even if the measure were to pass the House and Senate, President Biden has vowed to veto the bill.
"While we welcome Congress’ engagement on meaningful steps to address immigration and the challenges at the border, this bill would make things worse, not better," the White House said. "Because this bill does very little to actually increase border security while doing a great deal to trample on the Nation’s core values and international obligations, it should be rejected."
The bill will be brought up for a vote on Thursday, the same day Title 42 is set to expire.