Sen. McCaskill (Photo via DayLife)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — In the geographic center of the country, far away from the nation’s large borders, the issue of immigration is hot on the minds of voters.
In Springfield, voters will consider a ballot measure on whether to mandate E-Verify at the city level. E-Verify, a federal program aimed at targeting employers for hiring illegal immigrants, is currently not mandated at the federal level.
Speaking to an audience in Springfield, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D., said while she questions the effectiveness of a patchwork of E-Verify mandates in various cities, she thinks the program is “the most effective way” to address illegal immigration.
“We have to have a system to hold employers accountable,” she said. “I believe the best way to secure the border is to go after employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.”
McCaskill said that while voters may be surprised by her position, she has supported targeting illegal immigration through employers through her tenure in the Senate, and she has supported legislation strengthening e-Verify in the past.
“When I first came to Washington, I asked the head of ICE, ‘Well, how many employers have you gone after,’ and she said, ‘Well, we don’t know,’” said McCaskill. “This is something I’ve been working on since I got there, I think we’re doing better, we’re not perfect yet, and we really need to make the E-Verify system work better, and we need to make it all across this country.”
While McCaskill stands against a large number of members of her party on the issue, she stands with both of her Republican opponents in agreement on the issue.
U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-St. Louis, supports federal mandates for employers to check the status of their employees, and thinks E-Verify is “the best way” for employers to do so, said his congressional website. Former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman also supports E-Verfiy, said a campaign official.
Earlier this year, the Ozarks Minuteman, an anti-illegal immigration group, pushed the local city council to institute E-Verify mandates on the city level. The push sparked a city wide debate on the issue, and the council sent the measure to voters.
Opponents of the program, like one in the audience at McCaskill’s town hall, argue E-Verify encourages under the table hiring and is often misused.