XPost: alt.fan.states.idaho, alt.business, alt.sustainable.agriculture
XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.guns

BOISE (InvestigateWest) — A bill to require all Idaho employers to verify
the work authorization and legal status of their workers was introduced in
the Idaho Legislature on Friday, despite calls against it from federal lawmakers and Idaho employers.

InvestigateWest previously reported that Idaho legislators were working on
a bill that would require all Idaho employers to use E-Verify, a
government website that verifies the legal status of workers and flags
when someone is not eligible to work in the U.S.

The bill sponsor, Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the House
State Affairs Committee on Friday that the bill “fits well into the new administration’s agenda to correct the last 40 years of illegal
immigration.”

At least 16 states have mandatory E-Verify laws, and in most cases it has
had little or no effect on the number of undocumented people living in
those states, according to population data from Pew Research Center, and
has led to few penalties for employers. Mandatory E-verify also faced opposition from Congressman Mike Simpson, who told InvestigateWest that
the legislature should wait to consider action on E-Verify until the
federal government has a plan to create a path to legal status for
undocumented agricultural workers.

RELATED | Idaho lawmakers consider requiring employers to verify
immigration status of workers; program shows little impact in other states

Idaho dairy farmers employ thousands of workers, many of them foreign born
and undocumented, and are generally opposed to mandatory E-Verify. Farmers
want a path to legal status for their current workers and their immediate families and an expansion of the worker visa program to allow year-round employment of foreign workers.

Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymen’s
Association, told InvestigateWest on Friday that he hopes the association
and Redman can reach common ground in the coming weeks, before the bill
gets a public hearing.

“We understand the need for (immigration) enforcement, but we need it to
be a two-part conversation,” he said.

A mandatory E-Verify bill could threaten the workforce that dairies and
other industries rely on.

“We think E-Verify is a fair ask if you have a sector of the economy that
has access to visa programs, but for sectors of the economy where you
don’t have access to visas, there has to be a way to not have it be so detrimental to those industries,” Naerebout said.

If it passes, the law would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, “to allow for
employers that may have illegal aliens working for them to find new staff
that have legal status,” Redman said.

The penalty for the first time an employer is found not using E-Verify
would be a possible business license suspension of up to 60 days,
according to a copy of the bill. If the employer is employing any
undocumented workers, a court could also order the employer to fire any
workers who are determined undocumented by the federal government and
could require a sworn affidavit saying it terminated any undocumented
workers. On a second violation, the state could permanently suspend a
business license.

The bill would also allow Idaho residents to report businesses they
believe are employing undocumented workers to the attorney general in the
form of a petition.

Redman said that mandatory E-Verify would help “people that are here
legally receive employment.”

Researchers at the University of Idaho told InvestigateWest previously
that for decades, American workers have not wanted to take jobs on farms, especially dairies which require workers to work long shifts all year
round. Dairy profit margins are slim, according to researchers, and
employers can’t afford to go above the $18 to $20 an hour wages that they
pay currently.

Two legislators on the House State Affairs Committee voted against
introducing Redman’s bill. Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls, said
she was concerned with the cost of staff that would be required to enforce
the new law. Rep. Malena Schubin, D-Boise, also voted against introducing
the bill.

InvestigateWest is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to
investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. A Report for America
corps member, reporter Rachel Spacek can be reached at rachel@investigatewest.org.

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/02/idaho-legislators-introduce-bill-to- crack-down-on-employers-who-hire-undocumented-workers/

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