http://lonestartimes.com/2006/12/19/wha ... ume-19874/

What is wrong with this picture?

All of us have heard about the Swift raids by ICE. But a few things have not been said about the raids that need to be. First off, not a single Swift manager or executive was arrested or prosecuted for knowingly hiring illegals. Swift claims that since they are a participant in the Basic Pilot program, they are free of liability for hiring illegals. But there are a few things about that program that make it much less useful than it should be:

* Since the program is strictly voluntary and NOT mandatory, one has to conclude that congress is intentionally leaving a loophole in the system.

* As can be concluded from the program’s complicated and elaborate manual, small and medium size businesses do not have the resources and manpower necessary to administer the program.

* The employee must be newly hired before the employer initiates a verification query. In other words, the employer cannot use the system to pre-screen applicants for employment — it must HIRE the employee FIRST before doing the verification.

* Employers may not go back and check employees hired before the company entered to participate in the Basic Pilot program. In other words, any company who enters to participate in the program, may not verify the work authorization of existing employees — only new hires. Probably, many of the illegal aliens busted at Swift were working for Swift before Swift signed up for the program.

* Employers must make verification inquiries within 3 business days of hire. In other words, if the person at a company who is responsible for administering the Basic Pilot program is ill for three days and unable to verify the employment authorization of an alien who was hired three days before, that alien gets a free pass.

* Employers may NOT use the system to re-verify employment authorization. In other words, if the employer suspects that an alien mistakenly received work authorization when first hired, the employer may NOT check the work authorization of that alien again.

And to add insult to injury, the IRS does not care if you use a valid, but incorrect SSN on your W2, but then supply an ITIN on your return.