I just got a quick briefing on the Cornyn border state of legislation, which, I’m told includes a worth-mentioning trigger: “The immigration reform/temporary worker plan could not be
initiated until the enforcement measures were funded.”
There are details on the enforcement provisions of the bill here. Expect the bill and hearings before month’s end, I’m told.
A quick tour:
It doubles the Border Patrol, strengthens interior enforcement, increases
detention space (so that we don’t have the massive catch-and-release program
we have now) add biometrics, and gets at one of the roots of the
problem–employers who flout the law:
Prosecution of Immigration Violations and Employment Verification System
Establishes new senior Justice Department official at the Assistant Attorney
General level to
oversee all immigration enforcement litigation, to ensure high level DOJ
attention, energy,
and accountability
Strengthen integrity of the social security number system and implement an
Employment
Verification System to electronically confirm employment authorization
Requires development and use of machine–readable, tamper–resistant
identification
documents that incorporate biometrics.
Authorizes additional resources for worksite enforcement and the prosecution
of employment
of unauthorized workers
Increases the penalties for aliens who engage in gang violence and drug
trafficking
Curtails illegal employment of aliens through increased penalties and
additional worksite
investigators
Provides necessary tools to identify and prosecute individuals who commit
immigration and
document fraud…