Hiring illegal immigrants could come with stricter penalties under new GOP proposal

EXCLUSIVE: New legislation would create harsher penalties for executives of publicly traded companies who knowingly fail to comply with federal employment eligibility verification laws. 

The proposal comes as federal immigration authorities continue to crack down on alleged violations of immigration laws, including a criminal search warrant that was executed in California earlier this month on a cannabis facility, which resulted in multiple arrests of illegal immigrants and a child labor investigation.

“While liberals like Gavin Newsom pretend to care about human rights, the sad truth is that the Democrats’ open-borders agenda is really about undercutting American wages and ensuring their billionaire donors have a constant supply of cheap, foreign labor,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said in a statement.

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“So, let’s make this simple, executives who abuse illegal immigrants with slave wages should be held personally liable and face severe consequences if they’re caught. This cannot be a country built on servitude. American workers must come first,” he added.

Specifically, Moreno’s “Strengthening Accountability for Employers Hiring Individuals and Reforming Enforcement Act” (SAFE HIRE Act) would require a company’s CEO and chief human resources officer to sign off on their employment practices in annual SEC reports, including confirming that the company verified the legal work status of all employees.

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In addition, companies will certify in their SEC reports that they have disclosed to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice of any “significant deficiencies” that would interfere with their ability to follow federal employment eligibility requirements or of any known violations.

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Executives could face up to 10 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine for knowingly making false certifications. Those found responsible for violations involving employing people in the country illegally can face up to 20 years behind bars and a $5 million fine.

“This isn’t about labor laws or penalizing employers – and the federal government has made that clear. They care more about lining the pockets of private for-profit detention centers than the children and families wasting away in their care or the billions spent by taxpayers to hold them in these facilities indefinitely,” a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom told Fox News Digital.

It’s been against the law to intentionally hire people who cannot work in the country legally since the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

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In Congress, Republicans and Democrats continue to face off on immigration policy, most recently with the passage of the reconciliation bill signed by President Donald Trump, which ramps up resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.