Woonsocket Must Enroll in E-Verify for Citizens

If you’re out of work in Rhode Island, you should be screaming for E-Verify. E-Verify checks that you are legally authorized to work in the United States. It is free, easy to use, and efficient. The U.S. government checks all its new-hires and requires that their contractors and sub-contractors do the same.

Rhode Island is among the nation’s leaders in unemployment. Nationwide, our citizens lucky enough to find jobs are finding themselves working for lower wages and benefits as a direct result of the presence of a readily available, cheap, illegal immigrant labor force. If you’re out of work in Rhode Island, you should be screaming for E-Verify. E-Verify is a program that checks to see if you are legally authorized to work in the United States.

Our elected officials take various oaths of office. They all pretty much boil down to the same thing. Something like: “I pledge to uphold the constitution and the laws of the land, and to protect and defend the rights and privileges of the American people against all enemies, foreign and domestic, SO HELP ME GOD!” These words mean EVERYTHING to the people who hear them, and they MUST be more than just words to those who utter them.

Citizens need to know that their city, town, and state government officials are doing everything reasonable to ensure that every scarce job in America is going to someone living here legally. E-Verify is the best tool available to ensure that this will happen. Our citizens deserve this action from their “public servants.” We don’t need or want rhetoric, or delay, or more political correctness. We can no longer accept the misdirected sympathy for those who have stolen residency in our country. We have seen, and continue to see, the error of this approach.

Twenty-three cities and towns across the state of Rhode Island are enrolled in the E-Verify system. Sadly, Woonsocket is not one of them. I hope, and respectfully request, that this city’s leaders will soon correct that situation.

All employers, especially state and local government agencies, should follow this example. It is beyond reason to force tax paying citizens to pay wages to those living and working in our country illegally. Woonsocket’s City Hall and School Departments need to make this commitment for the citizens of Woonsocket, and the State of Rhode Island. We need to start using common sense and get rid of the nonsense. Call Mayor Baldelli-Hunt @ 401-767-9205 and tell her you don’t want illegal aliens working in Woonsocket or getting paid with your tax dollars.