On Tuesday, Dave Brat, 7th District Representative, unveiled a mandate that would strengthen immigration enforcement, including the enforcement of mandatory verification, as part of an apparent compromise by Congress to try to protect the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers currently residing in the US.
House Resolution 430, also known as the American Labor, Wages & Sovereignty Act, would see the elimination of the US visa lottery that enables immigrants from countries underrepresented in the US to come to the nation, as well as ending the immigration of non-immediate family members. The proposed legislation would also force employers to use the E-Verify online system to determine the immigration status of prospective employees to ensure they are legally entitled to work in the US.
Capitol Hill quoted the Congressman as saying he was willing to make these compromises to allow DACA to become law in return for the stipulations but was unwilling to accept anything weaker. His spokeswoman, Juliana Heerschap, confirmed the proposed trade-off. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will expire in March 2018 unless Congress takes on immigration reform.
Brat says the time has come to move forward with immigration policies that are in the national interest and make American jobs, sovereignty, and safety the main priorities. He added that Congress has allowed the immigration system to go out of control for too long and that Americans now expect them to keep their promises and do their jobs.