
Poll: Most Americans Want Businesses Prosecuted for Hiring Illegal Aliens – Breitbart
“In September, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) released legislation that would impose mandatory E-Verify nationwide while gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2028.
“’American workers today compete against millions of illegal immigrants for too few jobs with wages that are too low — that’s unfair,’ Cotton said. ‘Ending the black market for illegal labor will open up jobs for Americans. Raising the minimum wage will allow Americans filling those jobs to better support their families. Our bill does both.'”
CCSE supports both raising the minimum wage and requiring employers to use E-Verify. The first article posted on this website suggested that the federal government should focus enforcement to stop illegal immigration on employers, despite their political and lobbying power. See: Let’s Play Immigration Pinata.
Until coming across the Breitbart article, we were not aware of Republication legislation to raise the minimum wage (and index it to inflation). Congrats to Sens. Cotton and Romney for sticking up for low-paid workers. Their bill creates the possibility of compromise with Democrats on raising the current $7.25 minimum wage to somewhere between $11 to $17 an hour. Unfortunately, leaders of neither party are making this issue a priority. Does the fact that neither party gives much thought to the struggle of low-paid workers create an opening for a labor or workforce party in the US? Even if it couldn’t win a majority, such a party could influence the outcome of elections by aligning itself with, or opposing, major party candidates.