Arizona's Illegal Alien Population Declined After Passing Mandatory E-Verify Law

Arizona’s Illegal Alien Population Declined After Passing Mandatory E-Verify Law

Thursday, March 24, 2011, 1:52 PM EDT – posted on NumbersUSA

A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that Arizona’s illegal aliens population declined after the state passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act in 2007 that required all businesses to use E-Verify.

According to PPIC’s research, Arizona’s illegal alien population fell 17% or by 92,000 from 2008 to 2009. Arizona is one of three states that requires all its employers to use E-Verify. Mississippi and South Carolina also require all companies to check new hires with the workplace verification tool.

Roy Beck, CEO of NumbersUSA, responded to the report:

Imagine if 17% of the nation’s illegal population were to leave over a one year period if Congress passed a mandatory E-Verify law for the whole country.  That would work out to a reduction of about 1.9 million illegal aliens in our communities and jobs, based on Census estimates of the total.

As U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith continues to say, taking jobs away from illegal aliens appears to be the fastest and cheapest way to put the most unemployed Americans back to work.

NumbersUSA has argued for years that these would be the results if workplace verification were mandatory. But it is reassuring to have independent research confirm it. 

The report also found that Arizona has a higher employer compliance rate than other states that have passed mandatory E-Verify legislation. PPIC states that states considering similar legislation should pay special attention to the way Arizona has monitored employer compliance.

The report also recommends that for purposes of long-term effectiveness, states should consider the role of employer sanctions in its enforcement. It did not conclude whether the role of employer sanctions has played a role in Arizona.

For more information about the report, see the Public Policy Institute of California. Also, view our map of states with mandatory E-Verify laws already in place or with legislation pending.