U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., says Congress needs to find a way to help employers identify illegal immigrants through a “practical employer verification program.”

“Then you can move forward and talk about what else we’re going to do to make policies that are going to work for the long term, but without a way to enforce it, you can’t really have a meaningful policy,” she said.

During an interview Monday with the Journal-World, the first-term congresswoman from Topeka touted her co-sponsorship of the SAVE – Secure America with Verification and Enforcement – Act, which also includes provisions for border security.

Illegal immigration has been a major federal and state issue for several years. Boyda also has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s Mexican trucking pilot program, which gives Mexican drivers greater access to U.S. highways, and said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has not allowed a substantive immigration bill to come to a vote.

In 2006, Boyda, whose district includes western Lawrence, defeated five-term Congressman Jim Ryun, a Lawrence Republican, during a bitter campaign in which Ryun ran ads that said Boyda was soft on immigration reform. Boyda denied the ads then.

Ryun and Kansas Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, both Republicans, have started campaigning for a chance to face Boyda in November’s general election, and both candidates also have stressed their stances on the issue.

“Jim Ryun is the only candidate in this race who has a strong, consistent record of supporting legislation that would secure our borders and strengthen our current laws on illegal immigration,” said Jacqueline Harrison, a Ryun campaign spokeswoman.

Patrick Leopold, Jenkins’ campaign manager, also mentioned setting up a database to help employers more easily search potential employees’ backgrounds.

“Unlike what’s been going on in Congress, when Lynn Jenkins is sworn in, she will stop the endless talk and take immediate action to strengthen our border security and give employers the tools they need to ensure they are not hiring illegal immigrants,” Leopold said.