NEW YORK (NewsNation) — A trio of Republican senators are targeting the three big food delivery services, writing a letter to Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, demanding to know what steps they’re taking to stop migrants from reportedly filling in as food delivery workers.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Indiana Sen. Mike Braun and North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd are investigating a New York Post report from September that claimed newly arrived immigrants in New York City were paying current delivery workers to use their accounts to earn a living.
Since Oct. 1, there have been 1.7 million migrant encounters at the Mexican and Canadian borders. At the end of last month, federal data showed an estimated 1,000 migrants arriving in New York City every day. Federal law currently requires migrants to wait 180 days after their arrival for a work permit.
Food delivery has provided a path to independence for immigrants who have recently come to the U.S., but it is difficult to tell who is eligible to work or not, with stories circulating of some immigrants without work authorization using the accounts of others who are eligible for employment in the States.
Senators investigate food delivery apps
Braun and Budd sent letters to each of the food delivery platforms Thursday, saying they believe the apps are “being hijacked by illegal immigrants intent on gaming the system.”
“The danger to Americans — and specifically consumers using your services — is real,” they wrote. “These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names.”
NewsNation reached out to all three senators for comment. Braun responded, placing the blame on the Biden administration.
“We need to close our southern border, and we also need to crack down on opportunities for illegal aliens to find work in the U.S. to remove every incentive to illegally enter our country,” Braun said.
Budd, Blackburn and Braun asked for more information from these companies on security and accountability measures, wanting to know how many account holders they’ve suspended for this alleged activity.
DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber respond
NewsNation received statements from DoorDash and Grubhub, both stating they have extensive policies to verify account holders’ identities and prohibit account sharing or selling.
“If we find anyone misrepresenting their identity or granting unauthorized access to an account, they’ll be removed from the platform,” Grubhub said.
“To be clear: There is no place on the DoorDash platform for those that can’t or won’t verify their identity,” DoorDash responded. “Every Dasher is required to have their own verified account.”
The three senators want answers to their inquiry by May 6. They did praise these platforms for “improving the lives of so many Americans,” but said they’re intent on protecting the gig economy and Americans from any potential dangers of having unverified drivers showing up at their homes.
Uber also defended their hiring practices in a statement to NewsNation:
“All couriers who deliver with Uber are required to hold a valid right to work in the US, pass a criminal background check, and be over the age of 18. If a courier is found to be sharing their account or using a fraudulent account, we remove their access to our platform, no exceptions. We appreciate the Senators’ concerns and plan to respond to their letter with more information on our strict policies and processes in place to help prevent and address account sharing.”