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Feds issue final E-Verify rule
Starting next year, most federal contractors must prove that their employees are in the United States legally.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule on the requirement Friday. It mandates companies to use a federal system — known as E-Verify — that compares employee information to electronic government records.
If the information doesn’t match, the employee has an opportunity to correct the paperwork, often through a trip to a Social Security office.
Federal contracts of more than $100,000 and subcontracts of more than $3,000 issued after Jan. 15, 2009 will be subject to the new rule.
Critics of E-Verify — including civil rights organizations and Hispanic groups — denounced the rule. They say that E-Verify relies on faulty government databases and would cause thousands of citizens and legal residents to be mistakenly rejected for work. They also say it would cripple the Social Security Administration (SSA).
“At a time when our economy is under duress, people are without work and struggling to stay in their homes, why would the federal government expand a policy known to prevent innocent Americans from earning a living,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU’s Washington legislative office.
USCIS says that 96 percent of all queries to E-Verify are authorized instantly and that those who are not approved have the opportunity to fix the problem by correcting their government records.
Jonathan “Jock” Scharfen, acting director of USCIS, recently touted the E-Verify program with reporters, saying that it is the best means available for determining job eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
Federal officials also said that criminals with outstanding warrants have been caught through the E-Verify program, which is currently voluntary in most states.
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