“I shudder to think,” Rep. Adam Schiff says, after enumerating a long list of various immigrant groups who have sought and found new life in America, “of where they might be if the majority’s provisions were the law when they came here.”
Schiff tweeted video of himself commenting on the House majority’s tightening view on immigration by asylum seekers, writing: “We must not shut our doors to those fleeing communist & totalitarian dictatorships and seeking asylum in America.”
The Congressman went on to quote the famous poem — “The New Colossus” — that graces the Statue of Liberty, and which contains the famous words: “Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Schiff writes: “That is our country’s proud legacy, and it’s one we must uphold.”
We must not shut our doors to those fleeing communist & totalitarian dictatorships and seeking asylum in America.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 21, 2023
“Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
That is our country’s proud legacy, and it’s one we must uphold. pic.twitter.com/aVETrIwEJ9
Schiff predictably receives blowback in the comments for his rhetoric, with strident calls to “close the border totally.” But the nuance present in the comments — and there is some — focuses on the “legality” of the immigration.
Legal immigration, to judge by the response to Schiff, has the respect of citizens on both sides of the aisle. But Schiff’s detractors say that his grand and generous notion of open opportunity, while poetic, fails to present a workable solution for the surge of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally.
In a separate video, Schiff turns to the practical advantages — even necessity — of high levels of migrant arrivals, presenting a pragmatic case for a less restrictive policy.
America, he says, already relies on immigration to conduct business as usual, as “immigrants and migrants play an absolutely critical role in our economy,” Schiff says. “Our economy relies on immigrants to plant and harvest the food we enjoy at our tables,” Schiff writes in his caption, noting that the food is consumed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
And here legality, which sounds so clearly desirable, becomes fuzzy. “The reality is,” Schiff says, “that half of the on-the-field farmworkers in the United States lack immigration status. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without these workers the U.S. agricultural industry would collapse.”
Our economy relies on immigrants to plant and harvest the food we enjoy at our tables.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 21, 2023
An unworkable e-verify system would bring about a collapse of the entire agricultural industry.
Vilifying hardworking immigrants for political gain is just plain wrong. And I called it out: pic.twitter.com/98cyCDIfLz
Schiff is speaking specifically against changes Republicans want to make to the worker identification program E-Verify, which include mandating it for farms and businesses. Schiff says the proposal would be “absolutely devastating.”
E-Verify A.I. Backgrounder:
E-Verify is an internet-based system used in the United States to verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. The system is operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). While the program has been in use since the mid-1990s, there has been controversy surrounding it for various reasons:
- Accuracy: E-Verify has faced criticism for inaccuracies in its system, resulting in the wrongful denial of work authorization to legal workers. These errors may be due to outdated government databases or data entry mistakes. Critics argue that these inaccuracies can have serious consequences for workers, including job loss and stigma, and that the system needs to be improved to reduce errors.
- Costs: The cost of implementing E-Verify has been a concern for many businesses. Implementing the system can be expensive, especially for small businesses, which may lack the resources to comply with the regulations.
- Privacy: Critics of E-Verify have raised concerns about privacy violations, arguing that the system requires individuals to provide sensitive personal information to the government, which could be misused. There are also concerns about the security of the data collected by E-Verify and the potential for identity theft.
- Effects on businesses: Some businesses have criticized E-Verify for creating additional paperwork and bureaucracy. They argue that the system adds to the already high administrative burden that businesses face and that it can create delays in the hiring process, resulting in lost productivity and revenue.
- Effects on the economy: There is also debate about the impact of E-Verify on the broader economy. Some argue that the system can lead to labor shortages and higher costs for businesses, while others believe that it will help to prevent illegal immigration and protect American workers.
Overall, while E-Verify has its benefits, it is a controversial program that continues to be debated in the United States. Advocates of the program believe that it is necessary for national security and to prevent illegal immigration, while critics argue that it is flawed and can have negative consequences for workers and businesses.
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