FORT WAYNE, IND. (WOWO) Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said Friday he supports Senate Bill 87, legislation that would require the use of the federal E-Verify system for workers on public works projects in Indiana.
Speaking on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with host Kayla Blakeslee, Beckwith described the bill as a measure to ensure that employees hired for public projects are legally authorized to work in the United States.
“In plain English, it makes sure that we know who we’re hiring and make sure that everybody has a legal status to be here in the first place,” Beckwith said.
Senate Bill 87 would require contractors on public works projects to use E-Verify, a federal system that checks employment eligibility. Beckwith called the proposal “long overdue” and said enforcing existing laws should not be controversial.
Addressing concerns that stricter verification requirements could affect industries that rely on hard-to-fill positions, Beckwith said economic sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction would adapt.
“Sometimes people will say, ‘What about our industries or our farmers or our manufacturing and all the jobs that Americans don’t want to do?’” he said. “That’s not an excuse for breaking the law.”
Beckwith added that he believes Indiana has a sufficient workforce to meet labor demands and said a free-market system would adjust as needed. He also argued that failing to enforce immigration and employment laws could harm long-term economic growth.
When asked whether a specific event prompted the bill’s introduction, Beckwith said he was unsure of the author’s motivation but pointed to broader national concerns about illegal immigration.
“From a national perspective, I think the whole nation is waking up to this massive immigration crisis that we have,” he said.
Beckwith emphasized that his support for the bill is not intended to target individuals working without legal status.
“I’m not saying the people who are working in these jobs … are awful people,” he said. “It’s like, no, they’re not following the system. And we can’t help them if we don’t know they’re here.”
The legislative session is scheduled to conclude at the end of February. Beckwith noted that Senate Bill 87 has already passed the Senate and moved to the House, where lawmakers may amend it before sending it back to the Senate for final approval.
Blakeslee said she plans to continue following the bill as it moves through the final weeks of session.
