The E-Verify system that identifies illegal workers — an astonishing success by any measure — will be terminated if the U.S. Senate fails to save it.

E-Verify, a voluntary Web-based government program, helps employers vet potential hires to ensure that new employees are legal aliens or U.S. citizens.

The track record for E-Verify speaks for itself. The system verifies 93 percent of applicants within five seconds. Overall, it is 99.5 percent accurate. It also has made a dramatic impact in reducing Social Security fraud and identification theft associated with illegal aliens.

Would that all government programs be so efficient.

And cost-effective. The employer’s initial setup cost is about $100 and a similar amount annually to operate the system, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies ( cis.org ).

But if this immigration godsend is not reauthorized, it will be terminated on Nov. 29. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has put it on hold in a Senate committee.

It’s unconscionable.

If Congress fails to reauthorize E-Verify, and thereby fails to enforce immigration law, the public should consider lawmakers’ inaction criminal.

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