MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Supreme Court confirms controversial Arizona anti-illegal immigrant employment law

The mandatory eVerify system, “tremendous victory for unemployed Americans”

The United States Supreme Court gave its blessing this week to one of the strong immigration control laws passed by the state of Arizona, a law that has served as a model for similar measures in other states.

Arizona requires businesses to use the national eVerify system to check workers immigration status. Licenses are revoked when illegal immigrants are intentionally employed.

The Chamber of Commerce and labour groups formed a powerful coalition to challenge the law. They argued it steps on the federal government's broad immigration powers.

US Supreme Court conservatives carried the day in the 5-3 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts said while federal law bars states from imposing civil and criminal penalties for immigration violations, Arizona's license revocation statute doesn't fall into the category.

Mike Hethmon of the Immigration Reform law Centre praised the ruling.

“The Supreme Court has essentially given its seal of approval to states making eVerify mandatory for businesses in their jurisdiction,” Hethmon said.

Roy Beck of the reform group NumbersUSA sees it as much more than that, calling the ruling “a tremendous victory for unemployed Americans.”

“There are about 7 million illegal aliens estimated to be working in non-agricultural jobs. There are many Americans unemployed and lined up to get those jobs,” Beck claimed.

Also supporting the ruling is the Latino advocacy group known as the League of United Latin American citizens (LULAC). Luis Vera, LULAC's general counsel, says the law should expose businesses that utilize underpaid immigrants in unsafe conditions.

About a dozen states have laws similar to Arizona's.

“There are at least a dozen other states that have held back,” Rob Beck said, “I think we're going to see those states passing those laws in the next year.”

Beck predicts the business community's concern for a single uniform system will send it from the Supreme Court across the street to Congress, to push for a standard US eVerify requirement.

One of the Chamber of Commerce's primary complaints to the Supreme Court was that employers would be facing a myriad of state laws that raise business costs.

Making its way to the Supreme Court is the challenge over Arizona's better known enforcement measures, which include allowing police to stop anyone, suspected of being an illegal alien.