Letter: Immigration bill needs some work

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | 7:22 a.m.

There's no doubt that the country sorely needs immigration reforms that will secure our borders and provide a sensible process for people to enter our country legally. And as the Senate rushes to revive immigration legislation, lawmakers need to take into account that small - business owners, who provide the lion's share of job growth, will have a major role in enforcing the new laws.

As the immigration bill now stands, it would punish small - business owners by holding them accountable for the hiring decisions made by their subcontractors. In effect, along with other U.S. employers who rely on subcontractors, America's homebuilders would be required to join a national posse charged with verifying the legal status of millions of workers they never hired in the first place and may have never met.

A bipartisan amendment being offered by Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa; Max Baucus, D-Mont.; and Barack Obama, D-Ill., offers a sensible solution to the enforcement issue. This amendment places the responsibility for confirming the immigration status of workers with the employers who hire and pay them and makes it possible for employers to act in good faith and to follow the new rules for determining whether a person is in the country legally.

Adoption of the Grassley-Baucus-Obama amendment is critical to putting immigration reform back on the right track.

Brian Catalde, El Segundo, Calif.