U.S. Chamber of Commerce Challenges Arizona Law in Supreme Court

August 3, 2009 | In the News

On July 24th the U.S. Chamber of Commerce along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a coalition of cheap labor and immigrant interest groups filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court asking them to overturn the Ninth Circuit’s favorable ruling in Chicanos Por LaCausa v. Napolitano. In that case the Ninth Circuit found that the Legal Arizona Worker’s Act was not preempted by federal law. This law, among other things, prohibits the hiring of illegal aliens and requires Arizona employers to use E-Verify. Noncompliance with the law could result terminate the business licenses of those employers who hire illegal aliens. Read the rest of this entry »

Compliance with South Carolina E-Verify Law Difficult? Not Hardly

August 3, 2009 | Commentary, In the News

A 7/25 Beaufort (SC) Gazette article  related that restaurant owner Price Beall was having difficulty complying with South Carolina’s new employee verification law. In our opinion, either Mr. Beall isn’t being honest or he is going about his verification program all wrong.

As a Designated Agent of the E-Verify system, VerifyI9.com represents numerous small businesses including restaurants. Our low-volume employers simply fax us the completed I-9 form for new hires. We return the E-Verify authorization by email. All can be done in a couple of hours for less than $5 per new employee.

There may be some bugs to work out with the new South Carolina law but, with our E-Verify program for small business, compliance is a breeze.

Even though he’s happy to comply with the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act, he [restaurant owner Price Beall] said, completing the new verification process has proven frustrating, time-consuming and costly.

He estimates an office worker will have to devote three hours per week overseeing the issue, which could cost $5,000 to $6,000 per year.

islandpacket.com | Businesses, lawyers grapple with state’s new immigration law

One in Four New Hires Now Checked Through E-Verify

July 23, 2009 | In the News

E-Verify is being used at 511,228 worksites, up from the 400,000 reported by the Department of Homeland Security in January 2009. A total of 134,702 employers have signed up to use the program. The industry sectors most using E-Verify are in the “professional, scientific and technical arena” with 72,946 employers signed up, more than twice as many as any other industry sector. Down at 20th in ranking are construction firms, at 7,959 employers using the system.

[In a September 2008 report,] E-Verify was shown as 99.5 percent accurate with more than 1,000 employers voluntarily signing up per week. According to the most recent official study of the program by Westat, these numbers are steadily improving and E-Verify may to date be the most successful interior border program in place.

E-Verify: Challenges and Opportunities | Center for Immigration Studies

Krispy Kreme Fined for Hiring Illegal Workers; ICE Announces Audits

July 22, 2009 | In the News

Krispy Kreme has agreed to a $40,000 fine to settle charges that the company employed dozens of illegal aliens at one of their doughnut factories in Cincinnati.

In April, ICE implemented a new, comprehensive strategy to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation’s lawful workforce. Under this strategy, ICE is focusing its resources on the auditing and investigation of employers suspected of cultivating illegal workplaces by knowingly employing illegal workers. Last week, ICE announced as part of this initiative, 652 businesses around the country would be audited to determine their compliance.

Krispy Kreme fined after I-9 audit

Senate Upholds No-Match Letters

July 11, 2009 | In the News

The Senate unanimously approved, on July 8, Senator Vitter’s (R-LA) amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill, in direct opposition to President Obama’s desire to weaken immigration enforcement:

Sen. Vitter’s amendment would prevent the further delay to the Social Security Administration’s No-Match letter program. No-Match letters are sent out by the SSA notifying employers that they’ve reported income where the social security and the name of the employee don’t match. Often, a no-match occurs when an employer has hired an illegal alien who used falsified documents during the hiring process. The Bush Administration strengthened the No-Match program making it easier for employers to fire employees when a no-match occurs, but the Obama Administration has killed the the Bush rule.

Senate Upholds No-Match — Would Supercede Napolitano’s New Stop Order | NumbersUSA – For Lower Immigration Levels