Jobs lure immigrants to the United States

I get tired of hearing politicians complain about immigrants without criticizing the employers whose job offers draw migrants here in the first place. It's cheap and easy to scapegoat poor outsiders. It's much more politically difficult to demand that powerful employers - who may fund politicians' re-election campaigns - stop hiring undocumented immigrants.

As long as it's not required for all employers to use E-Verify to avoid hiring non-legal workers, immigrants will keep coming here for jobs. That's true regardless of whether there's a border wall. Politicians know this well.

We hear chants of 'build the wall,” but never 'mandate E-Verify.” Why is that? Because some politicians don't actually want to do anything that would threaten the profits of their campaign donors and voters - or our economy that depends on immigrant labor.

Kalissa Madison

Cedar Rapids