U.S. systems verify eligibility of workers
BY ADAM WALLWORTH

Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2008

Every business has to maintain a legal workforce.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration offer options for employers to verify information provided by newly hired employees.

The Social Security Administration maintains the Social Security Number Verification Service that allows employers to check numbers online, over the telephone and through the mail.

In many cases, an employer wouldn’t need a government database to keep from hiring an illegal alien, said Chris Plumlee, assistant U. S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.

Many of the Social Security cards presented by illegal aliens don’t look authentic and often are bought at border crossings, Plumlee said. Some cards are made on a printer in someone’s house, he said.

“If it looks like something your child produced, you shouldn’t take it,â€