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E-Verify: A Great Concept, Poor
Application
By Bob Burt, ASSIST President
THE IDEA BEHIND E-VERIFY IS GREAT. Provide a free, easy to access website for employers to determine if an individual they wish to employ may legally work in this country. It all started in 1997 when it was known as the Basic Pilot Program, and it�s purpose was to prevent illegal aliens from getting jobs in this country. This was a major part of the plan to stem illegal immigration. The thinking was if the illegal immigrants can�t get work here they won�t come here.
This program was started and was linked very closely to the Form I-9 required of employers since November 1986. Again, the concept was really simple. Compare data submitted by a prospective employee against a government database to see if the data matches. If it matches success, he can work. If it doesn�t match, he can�t. Really simple�and foolproof. Right? Nope.
WE�VE GOT BIG PROBLEMS with the data that is being submitted for comparison. Westat, a Maryland research firm hired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, determined that 54% of illegal workers whose names were run through the program were found to be authorized to work. Apparently, the use of stolen identities is running rampant. So, on this side of the equation, we need to empower employers with better tools to verify the actual identity of the applicant.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION, the government database has long been criticized as grossly inaccurate. It�s a legitimate question to ask: Where do they get their information? Many states are sharing driver�s license information but again, how accurate is that? Social security data? Back to the identity theft problem. I-9�s? Same problem. Tax returns (if they are even filed)? Same problem. Biometrics may be part of the answer but we�ve heard from the national ID folks in opposition to this idea. The thought that our government might store our DNA information takes us all back to George Orwell and 1984.
I strongly disagree with Arizona State Rep. John Kavanagh. Kavanagh co-sponsored Arizona�s sanctions law. Two years after Arizona began requiring all employers to use E-verify they found the results reported by Westat. Kavanagh�s response was, �It�s disappointing to know that the best tool available is not that effective, but it�s better than no tool.� If it were dealing with only those working who shouldn�t, that�s one thing. But when you have people who are wrongly denied employment because of this program, that�s unacceptable.
I also have problems with the design of the program. You have to employ someone before you can determine if you can employ them. That makes absolutely no sense to me. It�s like close my eyes, hire someone, then determine if they can legally work for me and if they can�t, fire them to correct the mistake I made in hiring them. How about not making the mistake in the first place? E-verify is a great concept but it needs a lot of work.
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