This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If you want to stop illegal immigration just do this one simple thing: Insist that all employers use the E-Verify system to assure the hiring of only people who have legal residency.

A Los Angeles Times editorial published in The Tribune on July 11 ("Immigration: The border isn't the problem," Opinion), cited the Government Accountability Office finding that illegal immigration had dropped "an astounding 86 percent" during the recession years of 2006 to 2012.

Why? In part because there weren't any jobs. It's as simple as that. Can't pass E-Verify? No job. Stay home.

Dealing with what to do with the millions already here is another problem.

Barney Bettilyon

Salt Lake City