This week, the North Carolina legislature is set to consider an anti-immigrant bill that could keep immigrants and nonimmigrants alike from getting a job—exactly what we don’t need in a time of high unemployment. 

You read right:  tomorrow, a subcommittee in the North Carolina House is set to consider House Bill (HB) 36, legislation that would require government contractors to use E-Verify, a flawed worker eligibility verification program.  Various studies, including the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Dangerous Business:  Implications of an EEVS for Latinos and the U.S. Workforce, have shown that E-Verify incorrectly identifies authorized workers as unauthorized to work, is subject to employer misuse, and relies on error-ridden, outdated databases.

Contrary to what proponents of this bill have claimed, the E-Verify program could have profound consequences on individual eligible workers and their families, including delays in employment, legal fees, and even job loss.  Here’s just one example from testimony given before the U.S. Congress:

A U.S. citizen and former captain in the U.S. Navy with 34 years of service and a history of having maintained high security clearance was flagged by E-Verify as not eligible for employment.  It took him and his wife, an attorney, two months to resolve the discrepancy.

Don’t let this happen to North Carolina’s workers!  Email the members of the subcommittee considering HB 36 and tell them to keep error-ridden verification systems out of your state!

In a time of economic uncertainty, North Carolina cannot afford to put more obstacles between eligible workers and their jobs.