John Morton, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, appeared on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" this morning. (See the video here.) He offered this general outline for a credible program of worksite enforcement. Morton envisioned a cultural shift that would end the workplace charade that for the past 25 years has made a mockery of the 1986 law that, for the first time, made it illegal to hire illegal immigrants. Said Morton:
We have to make sure that employers follow the law and that we create a culture of compliance with the work authorization rules. It will be a lot harder for people to come here illegally for labor if they know that when they get here there will be an effort to verify whether or not they have employment authorization. And so, if we can create across the country a uniform effort by employers to follow the law and make sure the people that they hire are here lawfully and have work authorization we will greatly reduce the magnet for illegal labor.
