E-Verify: Does it have a ‘gaping hole’?
July 24, 2009 by Tim GouldPosted in: Employment law, FMLA, Special Report
Is E-Verify ready for prime time? Definitely not, says a group of lawmakers who believe the system may be less accurate than previously thought.
Use of the electronic system, designed to allow employers to verify employment eligibility of new hires, is slated to become mandatory Sept. 8 for companies who do business with the federal government.
But there are rumblings in Congress over whether E-Verify’s going to work. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently pointed out what was called a “gaping hole” in the system: It fails to detect identity fraud.
E-Verify simply matches a Social Security number and a name. Schumer, Cornyn and other officials said there aren’t sufficient safeguards against an illegal immigrant using the name, SSN and address of an unwitting U.S. citizen.
Schumer suggested additional measures to enhance employee eligibility verification, including fingerprints.
What’s it all mean? The argument is the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the Obama administration’s plan to make employers the spearhead of its immigration enforcement program.
You’ll recall that Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced plans to audit 650 employers across the country for I-9 compliance, a move that was seen as the first step in heightened enforcement efforts against hiring illegal workers. ICE said it would be seeking to charge violators criminally, a shift from the civil actions the feds have pursued in the past.
About 137,000 employers currently use the E-Verify service, according to federal figures. More than 6.4 million queries have been received thus far this year. That number would multiply substantially if federal contractors are required to use the system.
Will the Sept. 8 adoption date stand? The deadline’s been postponed several times before. We’ll keep you posted.
Tags: e-verify, ice, illegal immigrants, illegal workers, Immigration, immigration and customs enforcement
July 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Now that our legislators are supposedly on the same track with E-Verify, it needs to be rigorously enforced? California–a Sanctuary State–will need exclusive attention along with other border states, because they have been occupied by millions of illegal immigrants, causing major damage to their economies. Once E-Verify is fully implemented on a permanent basis for all the working population, including all persons on a payroll? My suggestion is an army of federal inspectors of perhaps retired civil servants, senior citizens in their resident community, to make unexpected inspections on large and small businesses.
The inspectors will probably have to be armed with a general search warrant, but honorable business will hardly impose this restriction if they have nothing to hide? This will be a strict deterrent to parasite businesses, who will never be aware–WHEN THAT FEDERAL OFFICER–is going to turn up, to observe their workers? They will audit their books and check for irregularities in the workplace. This is happening in Italy and other countries, because of the importation of illegal foreign labor, has caused major concerns amongst the countries bona-fide workers. If Washington is really sincere about the10.5 jobless Americans, then we need to impose heavy penalties on those business that scorn the law. Another possibility is a reward system for informants, who have positive knowledge of companies that are scoffing at E-Verify, and committing the offense of hiring illegal aliens. Business are living off taxpayers taxes, because they don’t convey health care to their illegal hires.
Get on the phone and tell your Representative, you support–THE SAVE ACT– 202-224-3121 Believe it! Your voices are having the right effect.?Support for the bi-partisan SAVE Act, which will expand E-Verify and protect American jobs! We must focus on the key to this major problem-the jobs that attract illegal aliens. It would phase in a requirement for every employer to use the electronic verification system. We must also be aware that the Democrats are ready to open the gates to our nation, once a path to citizenship is announced. Search out the facts at NUMBERSUSA, AMERICANPATROL
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July 27th, 2009 at 7:56 am
The argument from the congress people is false.
July 27th, 2009 at 7:58 am
If the person is a green card type of person, there is a picture in the website to verify. If it is regarding identity, then the SSN won’t match the name.
If there are still issues, one can appeal to the SSN administration office.
July 27th, 2009 at 9:51 am
No
It’s not perfect
But neither are any of the other methods.
We’re not going to be able to detect identify theft with this system.
But it works 1000x better than completing an I9 form by itself.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Brittancus needs to get a grip and take a valium (or two or three) with their “armed inspections” of local businesses. Go move to a police state!
July 27th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Using E-Verify in no way increases the potential for identity fraud, and actually reduces fake document acceptance. No system will be totally fool-proof, but this system will detect fraudulent documents in at least two ways: 1) Fake documents that do not represent a ‘real’ person; 2) Fake immigration documents representing another lawful immigrant.
Both of these are improvements from the prior method of close enough and don’t ask to many questions or else I-9 process.
I have personally processed several hundred new hires through E-Verify, with much ease. Even when a referral is required, the process is well worth having a printable USCIS document as an ally for any action taken.
It’s like trading a old Yugo for a new Camry…
July 27th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Well put Brittancus!!! We all need to call our senators and representatives and tell them we want e-verify if for anything just to put REAL Americans to work not illegals who steal American jobs, use false id’s and use up every free system in American that should be reserved for Americans only. If we didn’t have such a large number of illegals on assistance and WIC and Medicaid and free this and free that, we wouldn’t have a problem with bankrupt states and states that can no longer afford to pay true American benefits for unemployment to Americans ONLY because it’s being used up by all the illegal aliens. Go home and build your own country up!!! All of them, whether they pick our fruit, build our buildings, clean out houses or cut our lawn, they all need to go home.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Personally, I thought the “No-Match” process was pretty good because not only did it address identity fraud, it helped a number of good, honest people correct their information with the SSA. Both were good outcomes.
As for E-Verify, its absolutely true that it is useless when it comes to identity fraud. I know people who work as investigators for ICE and they tell me that the system gives a false sense of security to companies who think they are not hiring illegal aliens, when, in fact, some of them are. E-verify isn’t foolproof as long as identity fraud is rampant.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
^^E-verify has stopped about 80% of our applicants. Nothing will be foolproof, however, this is a great improvement because we would have hired those people with the “old” I-9 system.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Mary -
While I may or may not agree with Britannicus, I would suggest you are more careful in your response.
You misquote. Nowhere within Britannicus’ response are the words “armed inspection” (inferring weapons). Rather, it was stated that the inspectors will probably have to be “armed with a search warrant”, which in and of itself is a protection against a “police state”.
Once again, as often happens on this website, responses have shifted from the issue to personal attacks “get a grip and take a valium”?
What happened to professional differences? Agreeing to disagree, without the need for personal attacks.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
DJC – you’re correct. I read that incorrectly as “armed inspectors with search warrants”. Sorry. Thas’t why I figured the need for calming drugs – my mistake.