Beef packers take steps against hiring illegal immigrants
By Eric Swanson
Dodge City Daily Globe

Dodge City's two beef-packing plants were already taking steps to guard against knowingly employing illegal immigrants before the federal government announced it was cracking down on the practice, spokesmen for the two companies said last month.

The Department of Homeland Security announced in August that it was increasing fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, as well as expanding criminal investigations into the practice.

The agency also said it would make it harder for companies to claim they were unaware of their employees' immigration status.

National Beef spokesman Mike Eckman said in an Aug. 23 e-mail that the company already participates in the federal Basic Pilot worker authorization program now known as E-Verify which uses the Internet to verify an employee's immigration status.

"We have cooperated with DHS' worksite enforcement efforts in the past and were invited to take part in a new photo screening tool for the government's worker authorization program," Eckman said. "We will continue to work toward improving the employment eligibility verification process."

He also said the company cooperates with routine audits of its employment eligibility verification forms, and a recent review at one of the plants found that the company was complying with federal law.

One major rule change concerns the steps employers must take when they receive "no-match" letters from the Social Security Administration, which sends the letters to companies when an employee's name and Social Security number don't match government records.

Sometimes the discrepancies stem from a clerical error or an employee's failure to update records after a change of status, such as a marriage or divorce. But in many cases, the employee has given the company his or her real name but a false Social Security number.

While many companies take steps to resolve those problems, some don't.

Under the new regulations, companies receiving a "no-match" letter have 30 days to check their records and make sure the discrepancy isn't the result of an honest mistake. If the problem isn't resolved within 90 days and the employee cannot provide reliable proof of their legal status, they will be fired.

If the company ignores the problem, the federal government could penalize it for hiring an illegal immigrant. Under the new rules, the fines are 25 percent higher than they were previously.

"Ultimately, these guidelines will make it more difficult for illegal aliens to use a fraudulent Social Security number to get a job, and it will help employers take appropriate action to protect themselves," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in an Aug. 10 press conference announcing the changes.

Cargill Meat Solutions' director of communications, Mark Klein, said in an Aug. 21 interview that the company already takes steps to correct any discrepancies between personal information provided by an employee and government records.

"If there is a change, we currently would give someone 60 days to address it, and I believe the proposal's for 90 days," he said. "So from Cargill's perspective, we're already addressing those when they come in."

Klein said the company also routinely performs background checks on potential employees, which could include a Social Security trace.

Cracking down on companies that hire illegal immigrants isn't the only reform that Homeland Security has proposed.

The agency has said it will reduce the number of documents employers must accept to confirm an employee's identity and legal status. Additionally, it will help states increase their use of the E-Verify system.

The reforms were prompted in large part by Congress' failure to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

Both Eckman and Klein said they hoped Congress will take a second look at the issue in the near future.

"While it may not happen before the presidential election, we think lawmakers need to tackle immigration reform again," Klein said.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.

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