Texas Talks Tough on Immigration. But Lawmakers Won’t Force Most Private Companies to Check Employment Authorization.

Texas Senator Lois Kolkhorst proposed a bill to require all employers in the state to use E-Verify, a federal computer system that confirms whether someone has authorization to work in the US. The bill aimed to prevent immigrants without legal status from getting jobs, but it eventually died despite initial support. This is not the first time an E-Verify bill has failed in Texas, with over 40 similar bills introduced since 2013, most of which did not pass. Texas leaders have built a reputation on being tough on illegal immigration, but they have consistently refused to mandate E-Verify for private employers. At least nine other Republican-led states require most private companies to use E-Verify, but Texas has only mandated it for state agencies and sexually oriented businesses. The resistance to E-Verify is partly due to concerns about its impact on the state's labor supply and economy, as an estimated 1.3 million Texas workers are undocumented. Industry groups and lawmakers are hesitant to support E-Verify due to fears of labor shortages and economic disruption. Even conservative think tanks have struggled to advance E-Verify legislation due to behind-the-scenes lobbying and lawmakers' concerns about reelection. While E-Verify supporters acknowledge its limitations, they believe it is an important step in preventing illegal immigration, but critics argue that it is not a panacea and that expanding it is not in anyone's interest.