“All studies indicate that undocumented/illegal aliens are attracted to this country by U.S. employment opportunities.”

Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, final report, “U.S. Immigration Policy and the National Interest,” 1981

“The best way to deter illegal immigrants is to make it harder for them to get the jobs that lure them. The best way to do that, in turn, is to make it illegal for employers to hire them. Employers can do that only if they know who is illegal …

“… Without effective verification, there can be no effective enforcement of the borders.”

New York Times editorial, 1982

“… if employers know they’re going to be enforced rather stiffly, they’re going to obey the law.”

Representative Chuck Schumer, 1989

“Employment continues to be the principal magnet attracting illegal aliens to this country. As long as U.S. businesses benefit from the hiring of unauthorized workers, control of unlawful immigration will be impossible.”

Barbara Jordan, Chair, U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, 1994

“The Commission believes that reducing the employment magnet is the linchpin of a comprehensive strategy to reduce illegal immigration …

“… A better system for verifying work authorization is central to the effective enforcement of employer sanctions.”

U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, Executive Summary, 1994

“So long as employers are willing and able to hire illegal workers, people will risk their lives to grab at the America Dream.”

Thomm Hartman, radio host, 2007

“We have the technology to implement a reliable system that tells employers whether they’re hiring an illegal worker. What we have lacked thus far is the political guts to mete out serious punishment to those employers who ignore the law.”

Jared Bernstein, economist, 2008

“… to remove incentives to enter the country illegally, we need to crack down on employers that hire undocumented immigrants.”

Senator Barack Obama, 2008

“… a biometric-based employer verification system with tough enforcement and auditing is necessary to significantly diminish the job magnet that attracts illegal aliens to the United States …”

Senator Chuck Schumer, 2009

“It will be a lot harder for people to come here illegally for labor if they know that when they get here there will be an effort to verify whether or not they have employment authorization. And so, if we can create across the country a uniform effort by employers to follow the law and make sure the people that they hire are here lawfully and have work authorization we will greatly reduce the magnet for illegal labor.”

John Morton, former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2011

“So if you’re faced with a $3,000 smuggler fee and maybe going through the desert, but won’t be able to get a job here, you’re much less likely to come.”

Jeffrey Passel, Pew Hispanic Center, 2011

“All of the polls that we found — both national surveys and others conducted in Rhode Island — showed strong support for E-Verify, ranging from 66 percent of respondents in favor to 88 percent.”

PolitiFact, 2012

“Anyone who claims to be fiercely opposed to illegal immigration but doesn’t support strong employer sanctions is just lying to you.”

Kevin Drum, columnist, Mother Jones, 2016

“As long as employers remain off the hook, a border wall and an expanded dragnet can only make temporary dents in the flows of undocumented immigrants.”

New York Times editorial, 2017

“Going after those who employ illegal immigrants takes courage, common sense, and a desire to stop illegal immigration.”

Reuben Navarrette Jr., columnist, USA Today, 2017

“One way to make sure we discourage illegal immigration in the future is to prevent unlawful immigrants from getting jobs in the U.S. Requiring the use of E-Verify by all employers across the country will help do just that. The web-based program is a reliable and fast way for employers to electronically check the work eligibility of newly-hired employees.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)

H/T: NumbersUSA