E-Verify: Is it about to die?
July 11, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Employment law, Hiring, Immigration, Records documentation, Special Report, policies
Will E-verify get more funding in November? Some in Washington are making moves now to try to keep the system afloat.
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren say they’ll bring a bill to the House floor before the August recess to extend the program through 2018. Their real goal: to buy some time - and get some funding - before Congress’ hand gets forced by the November deadline. Conyers and Lofgren figure if they can get an extension of funding, the lawmakers can later work out a compromise law that’s likely to get widespread support.
Whatever compromise gets worked out, it won’t be in the bill presented by Lofgren and Conyers. They say they’ll bring the bill to the House floor under suspension of the rules, meaning members wouldn’t be allowed to amend it. House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith supports an extension of E-Verify and won’t object to the bill going to the House floor, according to statements from his office.
The choices
The program, also known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program, expires Nov. 1 unless Congress reauthorizes it. It’s now a voluntary program employers can use to check the immigration status of their workers. Nearly 70,000 employers are enrolled in it.
Some in Congress want to either:
- kill the program
- make it mandatory, or
- replace it with a different mandatory system coupled with comprehensive immigration reform legislation, some of which would create a temporary guest worker program.
Tags: Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program, e-verify
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July 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
This program must be kept alive and enforced. It verifies LEGAL WORKERS and helps deter identity theft.
There is nothing discriminatory about it, except to discriminate against criminals. When do we wake up as a nation an start protecting ourselves?
July 14th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I enrolled in e-verify last November and I love it! I have NO problems and would prefer not to switch to a new system. As an aerospace subcontractor, we now have to use it, so I’m glad we have it. It sure beats trying to determine if all documents are legitimate!
July 14th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
It still does not verify the authenticity of the documents presented to the employer.
That is the main problem, an illegal worker using a nother persons name and SSN.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
We are currently using and appreciate the program. We use Name, SSN and date of birth for the verification. Is not perfect but gives the employer an opportunity to narrow done the ilegal workers and shows that the employer is making an effort not to hire illegal workers.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I started using the Basic Pilot Program back in 2006 and it has been very helpful. I was able to find out that an employee was using someone elses identity to gain employment. I hope that Congress makes this program mandatory. I work in Florida and we have a lot of immagrants that are looking for work. This prgram is a great way to find out if a person is a legal resident and able to work in the United States before you put them through the company’s hiring process.
July 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I think that the government should use programs already in place and merge them into a verification program for example: Oklahoma requires employers to submit new hire information in order to track for child support and other things why not use it to verify employment also? There are always going to be those out there who are running around with ID’s that don’t belong to them.
July 14th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
If E-Verify is about to die, why did President Bush sign the executive order to require all companies that have business with the US government to use the E-verify program?
July 14th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
We have been using e-verify since early last year. We have found it reliable and helpful. For one thing, if there is a mismatch on the documents, the employee is told and has a chance to get his/her record corrected. We have had two cases where individuals had not updated their social security accounts and one where the name used was incorrectly spelled. Therefor, this is not only advantageous to the employer, but is a service to the employee by seeing their social security records are correct. I, for one, hope we improve it but keep it. It is very user friendly and quick.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Most of what I read indicates that E-Verify is flawed providing too high a percentage of inaccurate results. That only leaves more room for discrimination claims. I believe the newly proposed program could be a better solution and should be given a fair chance to prove itself. E-Verify has not proven itself reliable to a high enough percentage.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:35 am
What would make the tool better is to change the rules for usage. Restrictions from using for employees hired prior to enrolling in the system is what I don’t understand. Why not allow us to run everyone through once just to “check” - same verification process to not trample on individual rights would apply - again, protecting those who have nothing to hide.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
To “John”
What system is not flawed in some way? I have been using the E-Verify system for over two years now and have not seen any problems. If the information provided to the employer is correct there is not an issue. If it is incorrect (i.e. name does not match, SS# is not correct, or DHS cannot verify) the employee (whom you have not fired) is required to present the paperwork to the govenment agency requesting verification. It will then be signed off on by that govenment agency and returned to the employer. The employer is not responsible for the incorrect information unless they terminate the employee based on it before the employee is able to attempt to clear it up or the employer entered the information incorrect.
I agree with “Gay L. Kennedy”. It can help the employees that are legal. If they had not provided their citizenship certificate when they became a citizen to the SS office and the employer enters them in the system as a citizen, it will be returned with the letter for the employee to contact the SS office but the DHS clears their side. The employee sometimes is unaware that they were suppose to provide the information to SS.
I think E-Verify is a great tool and should be kept.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
TO Gretchen from your statement it seems you are using E-Verify as a screening tool? One of the rules of the program is that we are not allowed to use post hire.
On another note the program is great at ensuring those who try to use fake ss numbers are notified at time of hire that they have been found out, thus helping us to employ those that have a right to work in the US
July 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
The SSA has a Business Services Online (BSO) service, that you can enroll in and check name, SSN, date of birth, and gender, post offer. If the info does not verify, you can talk to the new hrie about it, check for typos, or name in wrong order, etc., and if not resolved, ask them to go to the local SS office and check into the discrepancy and bring back proof and corrections. I have this procedure posted in all applicant areas. My experience has been that they don’t come back, and if they did, I would immediately put them to work. It does not prevent them from using someone else’s ID however, if they have all the information exactly correct that they give you. The sad part is that by that point, I already have 6-8 hours invested in this new hire. We use a 3rd party payroll processor, and sometimes bad info. will not process in their system, because they screen numbers from Soc. Sec. published lists of numbers in use. The BSO is part of E-verify, but you don’t have to enlist in E-verify to use this service. Our professional HR organization does not endorse E-verify because of an alledged rate of inaccuracies. I have noted with interest all the previous comments in favor of it. Hum…
July 16th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I have been using E Verify for over 3 years. It takes away all of the guess work in determining if documents presented are valid or not. Being close to the border you would be surprised at the amount of fake IDs that look real until they are run through the program. For the first time in my 20+ years in HR I am comfortable in knowing that we are hiring only employees who are authorized to work in the United States.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
TO Joyce: I used the BSO service before I began using the E-Verify. I have over 15 years in HR and have come accross several people using someone elses Social Security number along with the correct name and date of birth. The BSO just confirms the Social information. The E-Verify also uses DHS information as well. So if the Social information matches it will “pend” in DHS until it is confirmed. For example: The persons information matches for Social Security but the information was not updated for DHS. It will pend and the employee must contact DHS to correct or update the information they need. The employer just provides the form for the employee. They do NOT term them unless the employee never returns (Hum.. why) or are informed by the Government Agency (SSA or DHS) that you are required to do so. E-Verify is a great tool to use. We are also close to the Border. In Arizona it was required the enroll in E-Verify. I was enrolled and using it way before that. Go to the web site and check it out yourself. As long as I have been using it I have only had one employee that never returned after I gave him the paperwork to take to the Agency requesting further documentation from the employee.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Unfortunatly, congress took their “fall break”, without making much progress on this renewal. The way I understand it, this bill is being held up by one person, a Senator Menendez, of N.J. He is supposedly using an “archaic” tactic to hold up this bill. So, I believe E-verify is in serious trouble. Senator Menedez has been holding up this bill as a tactic to extract approval of additional visas for foreign workers as a price for releasing this “hold”. How one person can do this, I have no idea.