Thread: Plan Devised for Illegal Immigrant Hiring

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Associated Press
Plan Devised for Illegal Immigrant Hiring
By SUZANNE GAMBOA , 05.10.2006, 03:53 AM


Employers would have to check Social Security numbers and the immigration status of all new hires under a tentative Senate agreement on toughening sanctions against people who provide jobs to illegal immigrants.

Those who don't and who hire an illegal immigrant would be subject to fines of $200 to $6,000 per violation.

Employers found to have actually hired illegal immigrants once an electronic system for the checks is in place could be fined up to $20,000 per unauthorized worker and even sentenced to jail for repeat offenses.

What to do with people who hire illegal immigrants has been one of the stumbling points in putting together a broad immigration bill that tightens borders, but also addresses the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now in the United States.

Congress left it to employers to ensure they were hiring legal workers when they passed an immigration law in 1986 and provided penalties for those who didn't. But the law was not strictly enforced and the market grew for fraudulent documents.

Senate Republicans and Democrats are hoping this week to reach a compromise on more contentious parts of the immigration bill so they can vote on it before Memorial Day.

The employer sanctions were negotiated separately from other parts of the broader bill after some senators raised concerns about privacy of tax information, liability of employers and worker protections.

Employers are wary of the system Congress wants them to use and say it would be unreliable.

"What's going to happen when you have individuals legally allowed to work in the United States, but they can't confirm it?" asked Angelo Amador, director of immigration policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Critics say expanding a Web-based screening program, now used on a trial basis by about 6,200 employers, to cover everyone might create a version of the no-fly lists used for screening airline passengers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Infants and Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts were among people barred from boarding a plane because names identical to their own were on a government list of suspected terrorists.

"This will be the no-work list," predicted Tim Sparapani, attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Last year, employers in the trial screening program submitted names and identifying information on more than 980,000 people. Of them, about 148,000 were flagged for further investigation. Only 6,202 in that group were found to be authorized to work.

U.S. citizens could come up as possible illegal workers if, for example, they change their last names when they marry but fail to update Social Security records.

All non-citizens submitted to the system are referred to the Homeland Security Department, even if their Social Security number is valid.

A bill passed by the House would impose stiff employer sanctions, but does not couple them with a guest worker program, drawing opposition from business. The bill also would give employers six years to screen all previously hired employees still on the payroll as well as new hires - altogether, about 140 million people.

The Senate agreement proposes screening all new hires but only a limited number of people hired previously _specifically, those who have jobs important to the nation's security.

Negotiating the Senate agreement are Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democrats Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Barack Obama of Illinois and Max Baucus of Montana.

Their plan would give employers 18 months to start using the verification system once it is financed. It would create a process for workers to keep their jobs and be protected from discrimination while contesting a finding that they are not authorized to work.

To check compliance and fight identity theft, the legislation would allow the Homeland Security Department limited access to tax and Social Security information.

The Social Security Administration, for example, would give homeland security officials lists of employers who submit large numbers of employees who are not verified as legal workers. The Internal Revenue Service would provide those employers' tax identification numbers, names and addresses.

Social Security also would share lists of Social Security numbers repeatedly submitted to the verification system for different jobs.

The senators also want to increase the number of work site investigators to 10,000, a 50-fold increase.

President Bush asked Congress in January to provide more than $130 million to expand the trial system. That's not expected to be enough.

After the recent shameful dog and pony show raids done by the bald-headed bug-eyed pile of tic turd head of DHS do you really think the ICE princess and her loyal subjects will enforce any of the provisions? I wouldn't bet on it. I hate to be a pessimist and I hope to God it doesn't happen, but If these illegal aliens vote I think it is all over.

The "fine the employer and they'll go away" bunch is just sidestepping the tough choice between illegal aliens or a sovereign nation. Illegal aliens must be rounded up and sent home. 12 million persons with no respect for law, in the streets, with no source of income will be a nightmare.