Bush orders checks on workers’ legality

SUZANNE GAMBOA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - President Bush has signed an executive order requiring contractors and others who do business with the federal government to make sure their employees can legally work in the U.S.

Bush signed the order Friday, and the White House announced it Monday.

Meanwhile, a Justice Department report found that thousands of immigrants must wait years to win U.S. citizenship or legal residency, and possible criminals may escape detection because of an FBI security-check system riddled with problems.

The federal government has had some embarrassing moments when illegal workers have been discovered to be working for contractors they’ve hired, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a news conference. For that reason it’s trying to get its own house in order, Chertoff said.

The order says federal departments and agencies must require contractors to use an electronic system to verify that the workers are eligible to work in the U.S.

Homeland Security operates the Web-based E-Verify system, which Chertoff said 1,000 employers a week are signing up to use. The system allows employers to check Social Security numbers provided by employees. The order would affect hundreds of thousands of workers, at the least, and potentially millions, Chertoff said.

Bush’s order is aimed at cracking down on the hiring of illegal aliens. But people who overstayed visas or came to the country legally but do not have permission to work, such as some students or those awaiting work permits, also could be snagged with the system.

“It is the policy of the executive branch to enforce fully the immigration laws of the United States, including the detection and removal of illegal aliens and the imposition of legal sanctions against employers that hire illegal aliens,” the executive order says.

The order comes as a workerverification bill has essentially stalled in Congress. A Democratic immigration-enforcement bill would require employers to check the citizenship and legal status of all their employees.

“I think it’s a great decision. I think it’s what the American people have been asking for: common-sense, basic things thatare not Draconian or dramatic. Employer verification addresses the real problem and that is illegal employment,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray, a California Republican who heads the Immigration Reform Caucus, a group of lawmakers who support tougher immigration laws.

Most employees fill out I-9 forms and submit accompanying documents that employers generally look over to determine whether the worker is legitimate. With E-Verify system, employers enter a name and Social Security number into a computer using the Internet. If there are problems, the person is tagged as a potential illegal alien and must resolve the discrepancy.

The issue of using E-Verify has run into opposition from business groups who say the system is burdensome and civil libertarians who say it will lead to discrimination and job losses by U.S. citizen workers misidentified as illegal aliens.

Concerns about the system’s effect on privacy was to be the topic of a House subcommittee hearing today. Several members of Congress were to testify at the hearing.

Meanwhile, the citizenship audit by Inspector General Glenn Fine said the FBI’s National Name Check Program relies on outdated and inefficient technology, poorly trained personnel, overburdened supervisors and inadequate quality controls. Some name checks have been delayed for as long as three years, with 327,000 such requests pending as of March, the report found.

“The FBI’s name check process needs significant improvement,” Fine said in a statement. “While the FBI is taking steps to address these deficiencies, the name check process can result in lengthy delays and the risk of inaccurate information.”

Applications must be vetted and approved before an immigrant can get citizenship, a green card that grants permanent residency or other benefits.

Delays can also hinder the entry of foreign workers and students and slow deportation of immigration applicants who pose a threat to the U.S., the inspector general said in his report released Monday in Washington.

FBI officials said they plan to follow the report’s suggestions for improving the program.

Information for this article was contributed by Robert Schmidt of Bloomberg News.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 06/10/2008

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