Thread: TOUGH HIRING RULES SOUGHT

Tough hiring rules sought

POLITICS: Congressman Ken Calvert will introduce a bill requiring verification of immigration status.

11:33 PM PST on Tuesday, December 14, 2004

By CLAIRE VITUCCI / Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Inland Rep. Ken Calvert wants to require employers to immediately verify the immigration status of all hires.

Six states, including California, now participate in a voluntary program that allows employers to call a toll-free number to determine whether a potential employee has a valid Social Security number and whether they're eligible to work in the United States. This month the program will be expanded to all 50 states.

Calvert, R-Corona, who sponsored the bill that enacted the voluntary program in 1996, said he intends to introduce legislation next month making the program mandatory.

Doing so, Calvert said, would help authorities pick up more undocumented immigrants. It would also make it easier for federal authorities to fine employers for knowingly hiring undocumented workers.

"We should be able to check that people are here legally, that the right people are here to work," Calvert said. "It's a way for us to control who is in the United States."

So far, 16,000 work companies and government entities are using the program, said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

All employers and employees are required by law to fill out forms declaring that employees are legally eligible to be employed.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can fine employers who knowingly hire or continue to employ immigrants who are not authorized to work in the United States.

The Basic Pilot Program, which is free to employers, makes that process automatic, Bentley said.

Database

It allows an employer to enter a worker's information - including date of birth, Social Security number and legal status - and search against 60 million files within the databases of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Ninety percent of the time, employers can have their answer in under 10 seconds. If more research is needed, it usually takes about a day, Bentley said.

"It truly does allow an employer who wants to play by the rules to have the information available to them, to make good hires," Bentley said.

Joanna Hedvall, business-immigrant associate for the Washington, D.C.-based American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the key is to make sure the program is fair.

"If you can guarantee there is no discrimination ... and the information is accurate and updated in a timely manner and accessible without being overly burdensome," then it's a good idea, Hedvall said.

Larry Brown, a member of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, said he doesn't understand why the program isn't mandatory for employers.

"It shouldn't be voluntary, it should be a mandatory program to verify the legitimacy, the legal status of their employees or potential employees," said Brown, who lives in Riverside.

Maria Anna Gonzales, a member of the Inland-based National Alliance for Human Rights, called the program another level of bureaucracy. She added that such programs are "smoke screens" and don't really deal with the issue of illegal immigration.

Irvine-based Claim Jumper Restaurants, which has four Inland locations, began using the pilot program in 1998.

The challenge for the company, which has 4,900 employees in five states, was for supervisors to recognize fake documents.

Congress limits the number of family and work-related visas granted to immigrants. Those who enter the country illegally or overstay their visas do not qualify for Social Security numbers. The shortage of legal documents compared with the number of undocumented immigrants who come to the United States looking for work has created a black market for fake Social Security cards and work permits.

"They look authentic. You really can't tell (it's fake) unless you're an expert or unless it's very bad," said Jeannette Martin, human resources administrator for Claim Jumper. The pilot program "gives us a sense of security that we're doing everything we can to verify employees."

Employers who want to learn more about the Basic Pilot Program should call (88 464-4218 or click onto the Web site: https:// www.vis-dhs.com/employerregistration

Reach Claire Vitucci at (202) 661-8422 or cvitucci@pe.com


http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... 57b8f.html

Tough hiring rules sought

POLITICS: Congressman Ken Calvert will introduce a bill requiring verification of immigration status.

11:33 PM PST on Tuesday, December 14, 2004

By CLAIRE VITUCCI / Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Inland Rep. Ken Calvert wants to require employers to immediately verify the immigration status of all hires.

Six states, including California, now participate in a voluntary program that allows employers to call a toll-free number to determine whether a potential employee has a valid Social Security number and whether they're eligible to work in the United States. This month the program will be expanded to all 50 states.

Calvert, R-Corona, who sponsored the bill that enacted the voluntary program in 1996, said he intends to introduce legislation next month making the program mandatory.

Doing so, Calvert said, would help authorities pick up more undocumented immigrants. It would also make it easier for federal authorities to fine employers for knowingly hiring undocumented workers.

"We should be able to check that people are here legally, that the right people are here to work," Calvert said. "It's a way for us to control who is in the United States."

So far, 16,000 work companies and government entities are using the program, said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

All employers and employees are required by law to fill out forms declaring that employees are legally eligible to be employed.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can fine employers who knowingly hire or continue to employ immigrants who are not authorized to work in the United States.

The Basic Pilot Program, which is free to employers, makes that process automatic, Bentley said.

Database

It allows an employer to enter a worker's information - including date of birth, Social Security number and legal status - and search against 60 million files within the databases of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Ninety percent of the time, employers can have their answer in under 10 seconds. If more research is needed, it usually takes about a day, Bentley said.

"It truly does allow an employer who wants to play by the rules to have the information available to them, to make good hires," Bentley said.

Joanna Hedvall, business-immigrant associate for the Washington, D.C.-based American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the key is to make sure the program is fair.

"If you can guarantee there is no discrimination ... and the information is accurate and updated in a timely manner and accessible without being overly burdensome," then it's a good idea, Hedvall said.

Larry Brown, a member of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, said he doesn't understand why the program isn't mandatory for employers.

"It shouldn't be voluntary, it should be a mandatory program to verify the legitimacy, the legal status of their employees or potential employees," said Brown, who lives in Riverside.

Maria Anna Gonzales, a member of the Inland-based National Alliance for Human Rights, called the program another level of bureaucracy. She added that such programs are "smoke screens" and don't really deal with the issue of illegal immigration.

Irvine-based Claim Jumper Restaurants, which has four Inland locations, began using the pilot program in 1998.

The challenge for the company, which has 4,900 employees in five states, was for supervisors to recognize fake documents.

Congress limits the number of family and work-related visas granted to immigrants. Those who enter the country illegally or overstay their visas do not qualify for Social Security numbers. The shortage of legal documents compared with the number of undocumented immigrants who come to the United States looking for work has created a black market for fake Social Security cards and work permits.

"They look authentic. You really can't tell (it's fake) unless you're an expert or unless it's very bad," said Jeannette Martin, human resources administrator for Claim Jumper. The pilot program "gives us a sense of security that we're doing everything we can to verify employees."

Employers who want to learn more about the Basic Pilot Program should call (88 464-4218 or click onto the Web site: https:// www.vis-dhs.com/employerregistration

Reach Claire Vitucci at (202) 661-8422 or cvitucci@pe.com


http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... 57b8f.html