LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Wednesday introduced legislation to strengthen Michigan’s enforcement of federal immigration laws.
“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. It robs opportunities for work from unemployed and underemployed citizens and legal residents, and it costs the state a tremendous amount of money,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “Thanks to the Trump administration, illegal border crossings are at a historic low, but Michigan also needs to do its part. I have introduced commonsense safeguards to protect Michiganders and ensure we do not encourage illegal immigration in our state.”
Senate Bill 444 would require all public and private employers to verify the citizenship status of prospective employees by using the federal E-Verify system established by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. E-Verify is a web-based system operated under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that helps employers electronically confirm employment eligibility.
Runestad also introduced SB 445 to require the Michigan Department of Corrections to track and report on the citizenship status of inmates. Statutorily, no reporting on citizenship status is required from state prisons.
“We have no idea how many illegal immigrants are being housed by MDOC as opposed to being turned over to the federal government for proper adjudication and deportation,” Runestad said. “These criminals need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and not allowed to eat up taxpayer dollars in state prisons.”
SBs 444 and 445 have been referred to the Senate Committee on Government Operations.
