Development of New Plan to Catch Illegal Workers Underway

Last Wednesday - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that starting in September - President Obama will require federal contractors to confirm the identities of four-million workers against federal databases. As for the 2007 rule that would have sent Social Security no-match letters to 140-thousand employers - warning them to fix discrepancies or fire suspect workers within 90 days to avoid facing criminal penalties - Napolitano says the department will overturn it. Analysts say this is the clearest sign of Obama’s efforts to plan a middle course on immigration enforcement so far.

Napolitano said the department will take a new, more modern and effective approach - requiring nearly 170-thousand federal contractors to confirm immigration and Social Security data of new hires through E-Verify. Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions says making the government system permanent and mandatory for federal contractors would be a big step toward meeting the public’s expectations. But Spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Angelo Amador said business groups are going to fight the contractor requirement in federal court because they don’t think Congress ever intended to make participation in the worker verification program mandatory.

Another viewpoint comes from New York Senator Charles Schumer. He doesn’t think E-Verify goes far enough - and has proposed using a verification system based on fingerprints, eye scans and other unique identifiers of workers.