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AP/Photo Rogelio V. Solis
The federal government finally moved forward on E-Verify and will require all federal contract employers use the verification process to prove U.S. residency and ensure tax dollars are going to legal residents.
“E-Verify is a smart, simple and effective tool that reflects our continued commitment to working with employers to maintain a legal workforce,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
“Requiring those who seek federal contracts to use this system will create a more reliable and legal workforce,” Napolitano said.
A leading advocate for E-Verify is Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.); “This is a perfect common sense law that ensures our tax dollars go to Americans or others authorized to work here. It’s important that we use our tax dollars as wisely as possible.”
According to Bilbray the process is simple to use and the right people are getting through.
The E-Verify process simply compares information from the Employment Eligibility Verification form (I-9) against the feral government’s data base. The Social Security office works jointly with DHS by offering a free website.
Although E-Verify provides a positive confirmation in 96.9 percent of the cases and the Senate approved amendments to require all federal contractors to use the system, there are some critics, most notably, Chuck Schumer-D NY.
He calls the E-Verify system “half-hearted and flawed.”
The proof is in the numbers according to the Center for Immigration Studies, an independent research institute that examines the impact of immigration on the U.S.
“When this program began in 2007 it was used to screen 1 in 19 new hires nationwide,” says Janice Kephart, Director of National Security Policy for CIS. The current numbers for July of this year show an astounding new number.
“The new figures represent a 274 percent increase, or 1 in 4 new hires are vetted by E-Verify,” Kephart says. “The number of queries so far in 2009 is about 6 million, nearly what they were for all of 2008.”
If the current trend holds Kephart believes E-Verify will identify 12.3 million employees this year. DHS states that there are approximately 511,228 worksites using E-Verify program through July, up from 400,000 in January.
CIS Institute says “E-Verify enables cheap, efficient and accurate compliance with the federal ban on hiring illegal aliens.”
On another front the state of California remains bogged down by illegal immigration issues. Some in Sacramento believe E-Verify isn’t accurate enough and have put forward legislation AB 1288 in February of this year.
The legislation would prohibit the state, or a city, county, or special district from requiring the employer other than the government entities to use an electronic employment verification system.
Many businesses use E-Verify to screen potential employees. For example, construction, farming, warehouse and other large companies who employ many unskilled workers.
Congressman Bilbray finds this odd. “No wonder they (Sacramento) wants to tax marijuana, they seem to be smoking it.”
Kephart concurs, “That’s giving employers a permission slip to break the law, and it’s inexcusable.”
The bill is currently waiting for a final vote on the Senate floor in Sacramento. “If this goes along party lines, it (the bill) will pass it along party lines by Democrats,” says Mike Zimmerman a spokesperson for Martin Garrick-R-Assemblyman. “It’s anyone’s guess if Governor Schwarzenegger will veto this bill or not.”
In the end, California suffers a higher-than- national average unemployment rate and according to Kephart “it’s ridiculous for California to NOT use E-Verify.”
“Let’s all remember the federal law is very clear, you must be here legally to be employed,” CIS finishes.
For more stories: www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner
Comments
Absolutely the best typo I've seen in weeks! And so true on several levels:
"... against the feral government’s data base."
Even assuming a 96.9 percent accuracy rate (which is a couple points higher than claimed in the past), running 12.3 million through the system means 380,000-plus with the WRONG answer - usually misidentifying as non legal.
The problem is that the Social Security database is notorious for inaccuracy, as any reporter who has used it will tell you.
The way to improve the system is by using it. The more that the database is honed and corrected, the more useful it becomes. Yes, errors can happen on any database. but you take them one by one and correct the errors. They can only start where they are and improve as they go.
This is just the first step in clearing out all the fraudulent workers with forged birth documents and made up SS#'s. It will weed out a lot of those.
That is what is upsetting the ACLU and LA RAZA fans. The workers that have held illegal documents and false ID's and used them to gain unlawful employment will be out of jobs... As they should be.
Good idea in principle, MadMommy - but experience has shown that they enter at least as many new errors as they clean up.
The bottom line, though, is that illegal immigration is treated as a supply problem when it's really a demand one: As long as there is the reasonable possibility of a better life, people will try to get it.
Any solution needs to start with a realistic guest worker program which lets immigrants/migrants get the economic benefits under a regulated system.
Reduce the incentive to come here illegally by making it easier to come legally.
Sure ROD, I guess you think it's better to do nothing than to utilize a system that has imperfections. I just pray that something is done. Anything would be an improvement to the lack of enforcement and runaway illegal immigration here.
You probably live in a state where the problem doesn't affect your daily life. One that doesn't have 2.7 million illegal immigrants and 11.6% unemployment. I live in California.
Oh Rod, E-Verify boasts 99.6 not 96.9 accuracy.
A government investigation of E-Verify in 2007 found:
93% of employees queried through the system were verified within 5 seconds!
another 1.2% were verified within 24 hours with no additional action required of either the employee or the employer
Most of the 5.8% who received a tentative non-confirmation requiring more time turned out to be illegal aliens
only 0.5% were U.S. citizens or authorized foreign workers who had to contact the Social Security Administration because of errors in the database
And let's be clear about that 0.5%. Many of the errors were ones that the workers themselves had made, such as a woman not notifying SSA of a change in last name after a marriage. And even if the error was the government's fault, going through E-Verify was a positive experience for most because they needed to know the error existed so they could clean it up before it caused problems down the line.
The 2007 study found that the accuracy rate of E-Verify was 99.5%.
Try Texas, Mommy.
GAO last year found closer to 7 percent failure with e-verify - and a huge, gaping hole in the system that can be exploited through employer fraud.
As I stated, the first step is to address the demand side - and e-verify doesn't really do that; it's like TSA's security theater at the airports: all sizzle and no steak.
The issues are clear. E-verify helps noone if it causes problems for 3.1% of the population it tests; the Social Security system database was not developed as a law enforcement protocol; and this does nothing to change the dynamics of immigration.
However, the reporting is aweful. This reporter and many others are using an organization, CIS, known to be anti-immigration and based on false assumptions from its inception, as their expert on the subject. The other people mentioned in the article, such as one Congressman Bilbray, is vehemently anti-immigrant.
Something smells too good to be true here. Talk and action are 2 different things. Catching and enforcing are 2 different things.
We'll see how long this "acceptance" movement of e-Verify holds up.
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