American Jobs and Legal Workforce Verification Act

To strengthen immigration enforcement and protect lawful workers, this bill would require all employers nationwide to use the federal E-Verify system for new hires within a phased implementation period, increase civil and criminal penalties for employers that knowingly hire unauthorized workers or repeatedly violate employment verification law, direct the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor to prioritize audits in high-violation industries, and provide compliance assistance and a temporary safe-harbor period for small businesses acting in good faith, with the purpose of restoring confidence in the labor market, discouraging illegal employment incentives, and leveling the playing field for law-abiding American employers.