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Community Corner

Help get Town of Cumberland to use E-Verify!

            E-Verify is a program that verifies that an individual is legally authorized to work in the United States. It is simply the way to ensure that illegal aliens in our country do not take scarce jobs from legal workers, and drive down wages and benefits. If you live in Cumberland, please help with this effort.
      
            There are many people living and working in our Country and State illegally. Both are federal felonies.  Mostly these individuals are competing for jobs with minority citizens and legal immigrants.  To help Cumberland’s citizens and other legal residents get access to scarce jobs, I asked my town councilor (Scott Schmitt) to submit a request that the Town of Cumberland apply for participation in the federal E-Verify program and to comply with the rules when accepted.  (I believe this should be the rule in all RI.)  Mr. Schmitt did submit the request.  A sub-committee recommended for presentation to the full council.  The council heard testimony on the bill and voted to table till the next meeting.  With the obvious lack of understanding and/or confusion of the workings of the program tabling gives our councilors a chance to become more familiar with it.

            E-Verify's most impressive features are its speed and accuracy. E-Verify is the only free, fast, online service of its kind that verifies employees' data against millions of government records and provides results within as little as three to five seconds. 

Arguments made against E-Verify at council meeting:

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1.     Not important.  Not many people here in support.

2.     Would create larger government.

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3.     Cost of program. 

4.     Error rate. 

5.     Discrimination. 

6.     What benefit accrues to the town? 

7.     Might anger some people.

Respective Answers:

1.      Please call/email your councilor to offer your support.  Please CC the at-large councilors and Mayor McKee with the same message.  Let’s help our neighbors, friends and families.

2.     The program is in place already.

3.     It is free to use the program. Employers applying to participate in E-Verify are given information on its use and must pass a short quiz.  Entering an employee’s data is quick and easy.  Two minutes should suffice.

4.     1.19 percent of employees receive initial system mismatches, called a Tentative Non-Confirmation (TNC).  Of this number:

     0.22 percent of employees are confirmed as work authorized after contesting and   resolving the mismatch.

     0.98 percent of employees are not found work authorized. 

5.     Every new hire must be put through the system – no discrimination

6/7  Laws are written for the benefit of our society.  Penalties for breaking our laws encourages obedience. Law-breakers don’t like to be penalized.  Some get angry. Wow!

 

Mayor Daniel J. McKee - 728-2400 Ext 132 - E-Mail: dmckee@cumberlandri.org

James T. Higgins - At Large - (401) 524-9739 - E-Mail: JHiggins@cumberlandri.org

Arthur Lambi, Jr. - At Large - (401) 334-1700 - E-Mail: ALambi@cumberlandri.org

Manuel N. DaCosta - Dist. 1 - (H) 401-726-3258 - E-mail: MDaCosta@cumberlandri.org

E. Craig Dwyer Dist. 2 - (H) 258-1606 - E-Mail: ECDwyer@cumberlandri.org

Jeffrey T. Kearns – Dist. 3 - (401) 726-1238 - (401) 486-7795 - E-Mail: JKearns@cumberlandri.org

Scott R. Schmitt – Dist. 4 - (401) 658-0954 - E-Mail: SRSchmitt@cumberlandri.org

William S. Murray – Dist. 5 - (401) 475-2532 - E-Mail: WMurray@cumberlandri.org


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