Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) voted against the House Republican border bill on Thursday. House Resolution 2, known as the Secure the Border Act, passed by a vote of 219-213, mostly along party lines. Duarte and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie joined House Democrats in opposition.

He is explaining his no vote now. His objection centered around the E-Verify requirements in the bill.

“I didn’t like the ramped-up E-Verify requirements within the bill,” said Duarte, a farmer-turned-legislator who defeated Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, last fall in the race to represent the 13th district. “Everything else was completely acceptable to me.”

“It criminalizes employers and would be highly disruptive to the district,” said Duarte.

E-Verify is a valuable tool for employers to use to determine the legal working status of potential employees. Duarte is a farmer-turned-legislator who is concerned about the effect the stricter requirements of E-Verify will have on farmers and rural communities. He agreed with everything else in the bill. Employers can check applications against DHS and Social Security Administration records to make sure applicants are eligible for employment. H.R.2 updates existing civil and criminal penalties for hiring those who do not have work authorization.

Another California Republican lawmaker who represents part of the same region Duarte represents voted for the bill. Rep. Tom McClintock said the bill is necessary since so many migrants are “cutting to the front of the line.” He rightly said that the United States is a nation of immigrants, yet also a nation of laws. Durante could have voted for the bill knowing that it will not see the light of day in the Senate. It would have been a safe vote for a bill he wasn’t completely ok with, yet he stood by his principles, which is kind of refreshing these days. Unfortunately, he did so in order to support more lax standards for E-Verify.

In addition to increasing penalties for individuals who overstay their visas and increasing funding for Border Patrol agents, H.R. 2 also restarts construction on the wall along the southern border. It also reinstates the “Remain in Mexico” policy that required many asylum-seekers to be sent back to Mexico while their immigration cases are pending. And, it provides the stricter requirements to the E-Verify system.

However, H.R. 2 is all but certain to die in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Even if it defies the odds, President Biden has promised to veto the bill if it lands on his desk. Duarte could’ve curried favor with GOP leadership by voting for the legislation, knowing his stance would be protected since the bill is virtually DOA in the upper chamber. Instead, he stood his ground.

He also wants a bill that has Democrat support.

“This not a bipartisan bill,” said Duarte. “It’s purely a Republican bill, messaging-wise. There’s a lot to be concerned about down at the border. But we’re not going to fix anything if we can’t cooperate with the Democrats to create a bill that can get through the Senate and onto the president’s desk to be signed and implemented.”

That is a pipe dream. He’s a freshman lawmaker but he should know by now that the Biden border crisis is intentional and congressional Democrats are behind the president. One exception may be a Democrat lawmaker from Laredo, Rep. Henry Cuellar, but he’s the only Democrat who regularly speaks out about Biden allowing the southern border to be in chaos.

He sounds like a Democrat, the more he speaks about the bill.

“There’s a real opportunity to get bipartisan support,” said Duarte. “It’s our duty, particularly in this district and in the Central Valley, to produce immigration reform that benefits so many of our valley residents who are living in the shadows. Living in the shadows is not good for them, it’s not good for our communities, it’s not good for our economy.

“And we still have an open border that is no better off today than it was yesterday.”

That borders on Pollyannish. He is protecting farmers who depend on illegal aliens as workers. The “living in the shadows” lingo is classic open-border Democrat language. The truth is that illegal aliens have been emboldened and arrogant to the point that they feel entitled to living in this country and reaping the benefits of living here, whether or not they reside in the country legally. They jump the line on those entering the country legally. Is that fair? Of course not. Farm workers come here to work, not to escape their countries as refugees do. That is taking jobs from Americans. We are a nation of laws, or at least we used to be.