Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Indiana U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) have introduced a bill that would prohibit universities that receive federal funding from hiring illegal aliens.
The bill, titled the College Employment Accountability Act, would specifically amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to “prohibit an institution of higher education that employs unauthorized aliens from receiving funds from federal student assistance or federal institutional aid”
Institutions of higher education would have to participate in the E-Verify Program, which is a federal program that checks the immigration status of all employees, in order to receive federal funds under the bill.
While it is illegal under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 for employers to hire or recruit illegal aliens, some colleges across the nation – including the University of California – have considered plans to hire illegal aliens in recent times.
Vance and Banks said the mandated use of the E-Verify Program would “ensure cooperation between the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security to monitor institutional compliance with immigration law.”
“Left-wing college administrators want to transform their campuses into sanctuary cities,” Vance said in a statement. “Their latest scheme at the University of California is the most lawless yet: ignore federal law and hire illegal immigrants. Our legislation would put this madness to an end. If universities want to receive federal funding, they have to abide by federal immigration law and participate in E-Verify. We cannot let American tax dollars fund illegal wages.”
“American universities receive tens of billions of dollars in federal funds every year. Ensuring they’re not violating the law, employing illegal aliens, and driving down wages for American workers is the least we can do,” Banks added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “JD Vance” by JD Vance.
