Companies could be forced to verify workers are legal
Critics say proposal could affect thousands of people
Eunice Moscoso

WASHINGTON — Forcing companies to use a government system to verify whether employees are legally in the country could affect the job prospects of hundreds of thousands of people, critics said Tuesday.

Immigrant advocates, business groups and experts said the system, known as E-Verify, relies on faulty databases that were never designed as immigration enforcement tools.

The system, used by 58,000 companies, is voluntary. But proposals in Congress and state houses across the country would make it mandatory.

“If these bills pass, for the first time we are going to find ourselves as a nation, all workers, asking permission of our government to work, to be able to hold a job,â€