Thread: Hiring process for immigrants to get tighter

Hiring process for immigrants to get tighter

By Hiram Soto
Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. July 15, 2009

Getting a job could become harder soon, particularly for immigrants, and not just because of the recession. The federal government is tightening the hiring process to ensure that employees are legally entitled to work in this country.

The Obama administration recently began audits of 652 firms in a wide range of industries across the nation suspected of hiring undocumented immigrants, including 39 companies in San Diego County.

The administration extended the electronic employee-verification program, E-Verify. Beginning in September, contractors and subcontractors that work with the federal government will be required to enroll in the program.

Although organizations that advocate for immigrants generally applauded the government's decision to focus less on work-site raids and concentrate more on employers who hire undocumented workers, the changes have left some worried.

Alor Calderón of the Employee Rights Center, a nonprofit labor-assistance group in San Diego, said the new procedures could cost longtime employees their jobs.

If their firm lands a federal government contract, or if it's bought by another company, employees will have to prove they have the documents to work in the country legally, Calderón said.

If there is any problem with their paperwork, they could find themselves out of a job, he said.

Immigrant rights and some business groups question the accuracy of the E-Verify databases, claiming it is rife with errors. The government, however, says the system has been improved.

Calderón said the government could pressure firms to implement voluntary verification programs, including conducting internal audits and closely inspecting documents presented by new hires.

“The pressure on these employers will, in turn, generate more pressure on employees and make it harder for them to simply meet the requirements to get a job; it will be more difficult to find work,â€

Non-citizens should not be allowed to get any job in our country until every American citizens who wants a job has a job.

Don't they mean getting a job for illegal invaders could get "harder!" Why would E-Verify make it "harder" for a legal immigrant to get a job?