L.A. County supervisors agree to explore system to check immigration status of employees

LA Times
By Anna Gorman
August 25, 2009 | 11:37 am

Los Angeles County supervisors voted today to explore requiring contractors to participate in a federal program that checks whether employees are legal residents authorized to work in the United States.

The board voted 5-0 to have county officials review E-Verify and make a recommendation on the use of the program. The board will take up the issue again in two weeks.

E-Verify is a free online program that uses federal databases to verify that new hires are in the country legally and eligible to work. Beginning Sept. 8, the government will award contracts only to companies that enroll in E-Verify.

The program has been a centerpiece of the Obama administration’s approach to immigration, along with auditing employers’ records.

Though it is voluntary in California, a few states have made the use of the program mandatory.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich proposed the motion, which said that the program helps ensure that companies have a legal workforce and avoid prosecution.

--Anna Gorman

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... ystem.html