Legal Workforce Act Losers Grow Desperate; Ramp Up Their Outrageous Criticisms

This week’s losers in the House Judiciary vote on the Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885), the Democrats’ extreme left wing, are having a hard time coping with the new reality—enforcement.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, one of E-Verify’s most relentless critics, said in an interview with the National Journal Daily after the 22-13 vote which went against her side that the bill “…won’t come to the House floor unless [agriculture workers] are taken care of. That’s my absolute belief. That’s not a threat.”

But it is a threat—one in an endless string of Lofgren pleas for an agricultural guest worker program.

Lofgren is the quintessential sore loser who will make any outrageous claim to discredit E-Verify. Not only will the Legal Workforce Act get to the House floor, it will pass because E-Verify will pick up some Democratic support in addition to most Republicans during the final vote.

Here’s a quick review of Lofgren’s long, losing battle against E-Verify

At a February Judiciary Subcommittee Immigration and Enforcement hearing, Lofgren made the well-worn, baseless argument that E-Verify is plagued by too many inaccuracies to implement the program nationwide.

Lofgren’s statement, mind you, was made immediately after a live demonstration that proved how quick and effective E-Verify is. Then, compounding her audacity, Lofgren went on to speculate that, had E-Verify been mandated in 2010, “it would have cost small businesses $2.7 billion in start up costs.” Given that E-Verify is completely free to its users, concluding that costs could aggregate $2.7 billion is quite a stretch even for Lofgren.

Then in a September hearing, Lofgren was back trying to keep illegal aliens employed by falsely discrediting E-Verify in the hope of defeating it. Said Lofgren at the time, “It [E-Verify] can't be done alone. Without those other reforms, mandatory E-Verify would create enormous damage." The other “reforms” Lofgren referred to include at the top of her list “comprehensive immigration reform.” [Republican E-Verify Bill Faces Growing Internal Opposition, by Elise Foley, Huffington Post, September 15, 2011]

From my archive of all Lofgren’s absurd pro-immigration statements, this could be the most foolish. Of course, E-Verify can “be done alone”. The legislation stands on its own merits. Comprehensive immigration reform is dead and has no bearing on E-Verify.

As I wrote earlier this year, Lofgren’s 16th Congressional District is struggling with unemployment above 11 percent. A U.S. representative concerned about American jobs—which Lofgren is not—would be 100 percent behind E-Verify. Instead, Lofgren is beholden to another master, the agriculture lobby that so generously donates to her campaigns.