Senate passes bill requiring Iowa businesses to check immigration status of new hires with E-Verify

Iowa businesses would be required to use the federal E-Verify system to ensure their employees are authorized to work in the United States under a bill passed Wednesday by Republicans in the Iowa Senate. Knowingly hiring people not authorized to work in the U.S. is already a federal crime, but the bill would add a state-level business penalty for employers. An employer could lose their business license if they knowingly hire undocumented immigrants and are caught twice in three years. Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said the bill is needed because...