A proposal to ban illegal immigrants from working in the U-S, and increase security at the borders, has drawn the backing of a Wisconsin congressman. Appleton Democrat, Representative Steve Kagen , is a cosponsor of the bill. One provision requires employers to verify the status of every employee through an on-line database run by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. Kagen says that system would be phased-in over a period of four years, so illegal immigrants wouldn't be out of work immediately.
He says the bill also aims to keep illegals out of the country in the first place, adding eight-thousand new agents at the northern and southern borders, and use new technology to improve security. The proposal also would increase the investigative abilities of immigration enforcement agents, by training more authorities at the local and state levels.