Bush administration finally tries enforcing the law

President Bush wanted to give amnesty to illegals, and saw that effort fail in the Senate in June. There is little talk of reviving the proposal anytime soon. Some federal agencies, however, are beginning to enforce the law, cracking down on the hiring of illegal aliens.

In recent months, federal agents have raided factories around the nation. Agents have detained thousands of mostly-Hispanic laborers believed to have entered the United States illegally. Factory owners face prosecution and, if found guilty, must pay hefty fines.

Michael Chertoff, chief of Homeland Security, has announced new procedures that businesses must follow to make sure their employees’ Social Security numbers are legitimate. He has a simple message for employers who ignore the law. "We will come down on them like a ton of bricks."

More than $500 billion in earnings were reported last year by individuals whose names do not match their Social Security numbers. Dozens of workers in multiple states have been found to be using the same number. Identity theft and forged documents are common tactics used by illegal aliens to get jobs, and businesses often looking the other way to secure inexpensive labor.

It’s about time. According to John Keeley of the Center for Immigration Studies. "We need to see real achievements, and we need to see consistent enforcement of immigration law. The Bush administration is getting to enforcement belatedly, to put it charitably. The American people have wanted something significant and something consistent done about illegal immigration for many years."