CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – Recently, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and a number of their colleagues in reintroducing the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026, legislation that would permanently reauthorize the E-Verify program and require its use by all employers in the United States. While the program is already mandatory across a number of states and federal agencies, no national standard exists.
“E-Verify is a proven tool that helps businesses comply with federal immigration laws and protects American workers,” Senator Capito said. “Establishing a national standard will enforce workplace compliance and strengthen employer’s ability to verify eligibility.”
BACKGROUND:
E-Verify is one of the most efficient and effective tools for verifying employment eligibility and cuts off a major incentive that drives illegal immigration to the United States. This legislation would enhance civil and criminal penalties for employing illegal aliens, strengthen fraud prevention measures within the E-Verify program, and prohibit states from blocking or preventing employers from using E-Verify. Ensuring businesses only hire authorized workers would increase wages by stopping illegal immigration from undercutting American workers.
In addition to Senators Capito and Britt, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also co-sponsored the legislation.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
