OC Congressman Hopes He's Found New Juice for His Anti-Immigrant LEAVE Act

WatchmenMinistries.com

Rep. Gary Miller speaks at a healthcare town hall at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills last September.

​Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar), whose year-old bill making it harder for companies to hire illegal immigrant workers has floundered, has targeted a new congressional group to push his cause: the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus.

Under the legislation by Miller--whose 42nd District includes parts or all of Anaheim, Brea, La Habra, Mission Viejo, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margartia and Yorba Linda--employers would have to verify their workers are citizens or otherwise authoritized to work in the U.S.

He introduced his Loophole Elimination and Verification Enforcement Act--not so subtly called the LEAVE Act--last year, but it has languished in a Congress controlled by Democrats. Miller figures the quest for new jobs will give the bill some juice, the San Bernardino Sun reports.

"You've got about 15 million people out of work and we've got about 8 million illegals working in this country," Miller told the paper. "If you're a citizen or you're here legally, you should have the first opportunity to take that job. It's very simple."

He wants to force businesses to use E-Verify, a free online program employers can use to check employees' legal status, and create penalties for employers that break the rules. Business and Immigrant rights groups have rejected the idea.