'Dignity Act' seeks to overhaul immigration amid crisis: 'Revolutionary bill'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, May 11, 2026

2. Nationwide mandatory E-Verify

Another provision in the bill would establish a nationwide mandatory system of verifying work authorization for employees to ensure U.S. employers are not hiring illegal immigrants. Employers would be required to confirm employees' legal status by using a new Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The mandatory use of the system would be phased in over time based on employer size, ranging from 24 months for small businesses with 20 employees or fewer to six months for those with 10,000 or more employees. Agricultural employers would have up to 30 months to comply, regardless of their workforce size.

The bill would also increase civil penalties for employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers and for those who repeatedly violate the law. Unauthorized employment is often a major pull factor for illegal immigration, and current voluntary E-Verify can leave gaps that enable illegal hiring and undercut American wages in some sectors.

Failing to stop illegal immigrants from being hired by American companies was cited as a major failure of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 signed by former President Ronald Reagan, according to a summary by the bill's authors.

"Without proper safeguards, the undocumented population grew out of control over the last few decades and led to the major problem we face today," they wrote.