E-Verify Could Require All Employers To Check Employees’ Immigration Status

CBSDenver.com
February 10, 2011
DENVER, CO

Federal officials are expanding their investigation into illegal immigrants hired by Denver-based Chipotle restaurants.

Immigration enforcement is now looking at the documents for workers at over 60 stores. None of those stores are in Colorado.

The investigation comes as some Colorado lawmakers want to mandate that businesses verify the citizenship of all their workers.

It wouldn’t matter if you have one employee or 1,000, businesses would have to put them all through the federal electronic verification, or E-Verify, program to make sure they are legal residents.

Chipotle said it will start verifying documentation anyway.

This after Chipotle was forced to fire hundreds of workers the company thought were legal when they found out they were actually illegal.

Hundreds of Colorado companies already participate in E-Verify, but they do so voluntarily.

Senate Bill 129 will make it mandatory for all companies to use the system.

Those businesses who choose not to participate would face hefty fines and could even lose their business license.

“We’re going after the employer not employee with this bill. We’re going after those knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and encouraging them to come here,â€