Idaho Legislature: Ask Legislators to VOTE YES on H0252 - Unauthorized workers, verification (E-Verify) (posted 02/18/25, updated with new references 03/29/25)

• Bill: legislature.idaho.gov/s…

• Contact Legislators: Please use Idaho Legislature website to find contact info. Details here: tinyurl.com/2r4uuj32

(Check the linked page or use My Bill Tracker for the bill’s current status.)

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E-Verify is a federal online system that allows employers to confirm employment eligibility by comparing information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to records available to U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration.

H0252 prohibits employment of illegal aliens and requires employers to use the no-cost E-Verify program to confirm each new hire's legal employment status as a condition of employment. This is an absolute “must pass” bill for Idaho.

Key Details:

• Requires Idaho employers (and their subcontractors) to confirm eligibility of new employees via the federal E-Verify program.

• Employers must E-Verify an employee's work authorization within three days of hiring and can face significant penalties for non-compliance, including potential suspension or permanent revocation of business licenses.

• Defines key terms, including "unauthorized worker."

• Provides specific guidelines for proving legal work status (e.g., social security cards, passports, government-issued identification, etc.).

• Provides progressive penalties for employers that knowingly hire unauthorized workers, including:

  • Initial violation: Probationary periods and potential license suspensions.

  • Repeated violations: Revocation of permanent business license.

• Residents can petition attorney general (AG) to investigate potential employment law violations.

• AG can bring civil complaints against non-compliant employers.

• Protects employers who can demonstrate good-faith efforts to verify employee eligibility.

• Safeguards against discrimination based on national origin, ethnicity, or race.

Many argue that enforcing our immigration laws and requiring citizenship verification will be a hardship on farmers and ranchers. Who will pick fruit they ask? Who will milk cows? Who will work in meat packing plants? This argument is specious, and similar to the arguments used in the Civil War era to support slavery (who will pick cotton)?

The net effect of illegal immigration is negative: Drugs, gangs, and human trafficking; potential voter fraud; assorted violent crimes and petty crimes; sovereignty and rule of law trashed. Moreover, many illegals depend on citizen taxpayers for food, housing, and medical care. They also provide cheap labor that competes with citizens seeking the same jobs. Employing illegal aliens is a form of slavery, which America outlawed after the Civil War.

References:

• Pressure Builds on Illegal Immigration: tinyurl.com/3uzk46mm

• EDITORIAL: Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen’s Business’s Reckless Actions Endanger Community, Prompt Righteous ICE Response: tinyurl.com/4zwnave9

• Idaho’s Illegal Immigration, Open Borders, Related Crimes & Security. What Can WE Do? eolson47.substack.com/p…

• What is E-Verify: