Thread: N.C.: Homeland Security officials urge caution in hiring pra

Homeland Security officials urge caution in hiring practices
Chris Lavender
March 20, 2008 - 9:09PM
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials encouraged employers in Lenoir County on Thursday to examine their hiring practices and help prevent illegal undocumented immigrants from entering the local work force.

Identify theft is on the rise throughout North Carolina, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Forensic Auditor Debora Fikes said. She spoke Thursday morning at North Carolina Employment Security Commission's office in Kinston. Several local employers including Lenoir Memorial Hospital, Lenoir Community College, West Pharmaceuticals and Electrolux attended the meeting.

Fikes highlighted the federal government's new E-Verify free online work authorization document checking system. The online system provides employers with a "great security feature," she said.

Employers are required to advertise to prospective employees they use the E-Verify online identification system. So far, about 93 percent of the nation's employees who were checked with the system passed the test's requirements and maintained employment.

Any employee who does not pass the E-Verify's initial check process has eight days to clarify their documentation. Fikes said she would like to see the E-Verify system mandated for the entire nation.

"There is quite a lot of identification theft with those not authorized to work," she said. "The E-Verify can be used only for new hires not for a current work force."

Several employers who attended the meeting questioned the E-Verify policy regarding hiring someone first than running the check after a new employee has been on the job for three days. Fike said the policy is necessary to prevent discrimination.

LCC Director of Workforce Development Bobby Merritt said the policy could create issues for human resource departments.

"It's better to resolve the issue at eight days than wait 18 months," Fike said. "There are about 500,000 illegal immigrants in North Carolina. We have about 50 agents in the state to deal with the issue."

After the meeting, Kinston Manager Scott Stevens said the city effectively screens for undocumented illegal immigrants seeking employment in the city.

"We use the I-9 form," he said. "We will leave it up to the human resource department if they want to use the E-Verify system."

www.kinston.com

We use the I-9 form," he said. "We will leave it up to the human resource department if they want to use the E-Verify system."

It should not be arbitrary! It should be mandatory, backed by Federal Law!

"The E-Verify can be used only for new hires not for a current work force."

So ilegals who have already stolen SS#'s are allowed to keep using them. Makes perfect sense to me.

I can't believe Kinston leaves it up to the HR Dept to decide if E-verify is used. Looks likes that would be a decision made by the city council.