Katie Britt

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., is moving to make E-Verify mandatory nationwide, arguing the federal system is critical to ending illegal immigration and protecting American workers from unfair competition.

Britt on Thursday is introducing the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026, legislation that would permanently require all U.S. employers to use the federal employment verification system to confirm new hires are legally authorized to work in the United States.

"If you come to this country illegally, you shouldn't be here to begin with, and you shouldn't be working in the United States," Britt told the Washington Examiner.

"This legislation builds on Republicans' historic success in securing our border after four years of disastrous, 'America Last' policies under [former President] Joe Biden and [former Vice President] Kamala Harris, by eliminating the largest magnet for illegal immigration."

E-Verify, created by Congress in 1996, is an online system operated by the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration that compares information from an employee's Form I-9 against federal databases to confirm work eligibility.

According to the federal E-Verify website, the system can return results in as little as three to five seconds and was used more than 43 million times in 2025 alone.

While participation remains voluntary for most employers, several Republican-led states already require some form of E-Verify usage.

Iowa lawmakers last month passed legislation mandating that state agencies, counties, cities, school districts, and even private schools use E-Verify and the federal SAVE database to confirm citizenship and employment eligibility for new hires, the Des Moines Register reported.

Britt's proposal would go significantly further by applying the requirement to all employers nationwide, regardless of company size.

The legislation would also strengthen civil and criminal penalties against businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens and block states from restricting employer use of E-Verify.

Republicans backing the measure argue illegal labor depresses wages for lawful workers and incentivizes illegal immigration.

"We should enforce the law and ensure jobs go to Americans, not illegal aliens," Britt said. "This is a commonsense bill that everyone should be able to get on board with."

The bill has already attracted support from several Senate Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

Conservative immigration groups, including the Heritage Foundation, NumbersUSA, and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, also endorsed the legislation.

Supporters say the bill complements President Donald Trump's broader immigration crackdown by targeting what Republicans describe as one of the primary incentives driving illegal immigration: access to American jobs.