Checking E-Verify: The Costs and Consequences of a National Worker Screening Mandate

Many policymakers believe that an essential part of immigration reform is nationally mandating the use of E-Verify, the electronic employment eligibility verification system intended to prevent unlawful immigrants from working in the United States. A mandate requiring all employers to screen their new hires through federal government databases will likely be included in immigration reform measures contemplated by the 114th Congress.  In a new paper, Cato scholars Alex Nowrasteh and Jim Harper argue that E-Verify’s high costs and ineffectiveness at deterring unlawful immigration should disqualify it as a component of immigration reform.

Cato in Times Square

Individual liberty and limited government now light up Times Square.  All summer long, Cato’s commitment to stopping the government from overspending, overregulating, policing the world, and invading our privacy will be shining down to passersby from a jumbo screen.  To those visiting Cato’s site for the first time: Welcome!  We hope you’ll take an opportunity to learn more about our work on the subjects you’ve seen on our screen, along with the wide range of other current, new, and emerging issues Cato scholars are exploring every day.

The New CatoAudio App

In one simple, innovative app, CatoAudio provides instant access to the expert perspectives, insights, and insider viewpoints offered by the Cato Institute and Libertarianism.org. The app includes favorites such as the Cato Daily Podcast, Libertarianism.org’s Free Thoughts, Cato’s event podcasts, Cato Audio Monthly recordings of event highlights and special roundtable discussions, excursions into libertarian thoughts, and more.

Marriage and Equality at the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to both recognize and license same sex marriage. Cato scholar Ilya Shapiro comments, “Just because today’s opinion was expected by all doesn’t make it any less momentous. It was in 2003 that the Court had to invalidate the criminalization of gay sex and a mere 12 years later it commands state officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. …Good for the Court – and I echo Justice Kennedy’s hope that both sides now respect each other’s liberties and the rule of law.”

Recent Commentary

Events

July 14

The Conservatarian Manifesto

Featuring the author, Charles C. W. Cooke, Staff Writer, National Review; with comments by Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Katherine Mangu-Ward, Managing Editor, Reason; and Ben Domenech, Publisher, The Federalist; moderated by Trevor Burrus, Research Fellow, Cato Institute.

12:00PM to 1:30PM Hayek Auditorium

More Events

Of Special Note

The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom

The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom

Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses, have given rise to a growing libertarian movement in our country – with a greater focus on individual liberty and less government power. David Boaz’s newly released The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history, philosophy, and growth of the libertarian movement, with incisive analyses of today’s most pressing issues and policies. The Libertarian Mind is the ultimate resource for the current, burgeoning libertarian movement.

Special! 10 Copies for $10

Cato Pocket Constitution

To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s founding documents, the Cato Institute published this pocket-size edition.

New Book

The Tyranny of Silence

With the tragedies in Denmark and Paris, self-censorship in the face of intimidation and the nature of free speech are at the forefront of public debate. No one knows this debate better than Flemming Rose, the editor of the Danish newspaper that published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in 2005 that set off a global firestorm. In Tyranny of Silence, published by the Cato Institute, Rose offers a deeply personal look at attempts to limit free speech in a multireligious, culturally borderless world.

Cato University 2015

Speakers from Brazil at Cato University 2015

We are delighted to announce that Pedro Ferreira and Kim Kataguiri, two leaders of the Movimento Brasil Livre (Free Brazil Movement) – which brought 5 million people to the streets in anti-government demonstrations across Brazil – will be speaking at Cato University. Yet another outstanding reason why we hope you’ll consider joining us later this month. This annual program – held this year at Cato in Washington, DC from July 26-31 – brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the globe – all sharing a commitment to liberty and learning.