HR Management & Compliance

Federal Contractors Required to Use E-Verify Starting September 8

Beginning Sept. 8, 2009, federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to use the E-Verify system to ensure their employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.The requirement is designed to stop federal contractors and subcontractors from hiring illegal immigrants.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced this week that the Obama administration will require employers that are awarded federal contracts to use E-Verify. The requirement for federal contractors to use E-Verify was originally set to go into place in January 2009, but was postponed so that the new administration could review the new rule.

The E-Verify system is a federal government online database program that allows employers to verify employment eligibility by electronically comparing employee information taken from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (Form I-9) against the records in the DHS and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases. The system, which facilitates compliance with federal immigration laws and is currently voluntary for employers, is jointly operated by the DHS and the SSA and is overseen by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Although the Bush administration attempted to make E-Verify mandatory for federal contractors and subcontractors during its final months, the start date for them to begin using E-Verify has been delayed multiple times. When President Barack Obama took office, he ordered additional review of the system. After six months, the Obama administration and the DHS have decided to push ahead with the expansion of E-Verify.

While announcing the Obama administration’s support of requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to use E-Verify, Napolitano also revealed the department’s intention to rescind the “no-match” rule, another Bush administration proposition. The rule was blocked by a court order shortly after it was issued and has never taken effect. It would have sent Social Security “no-match” letters to employers informing them that an employee’s name and Social Security number does not match SSA records. Under the rule, after an employer received a “no-match” letter, it would either have to fire questionable employees or settle inconsistencies within 90 days to avoid criminal penalties.

The E-Verify program continues to face opposition from immigrant advocacy groups and business groups that assert the databases used by the E-Verify system are full of errors. While business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, approved of the decision to scratch the “no-match” rule, they stated that they would continue their legal fight to prevent the E-Verify program from becoming mandatory for federal contractors and subcontractors.

According to Napolitano, the Obama administration will push ahead with “full implementation” of the federal contractor E-Verify rule, which will apply to federal solicitations and contract awards starting on September 8, 2009. After the rule takes effect, employers that are awarded federal contracts that include the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause will have to verify the employment eligibility of all their employees (including current workers) through E-Verify. However, federal contractors may not use E-Verify to verify current employees until the rule becomes effective and they are awarded a contract that includes the FAR E-Verify Clause.

——————————————

For more information on the new E-Verify requirements for federal contractors, participate in the audio conference E-Verify September 8 Deadline: New Rules for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors

2 thoughts on “Federal Contractors Required to Use E-Verify Starting September 8”

  1. American Workers should take a deep breath, as for once our politicians are listening to us all? Well! Not quite? They have instituted E-Verify, the illegal worker extraction process from the workplace? BUT TELL ME WHY IT DOESN’T COVER EVERYBODY WHO COLLECTS A PAYROLL CHECK? Not just the new arrival workers, but everybody who works for the company? American citizens and legal residents, don’t care about checking their identity, unless they have something to hide? But E-Verify will trap illegal trap people offering illegal Social Security Numbers and bogus ID papers. What’s significant is that E-Verify is not in stasis, but being upgraded, modified all the time. All irregularities can be checked out at the Social Security office. Not a good place where illegal workers would enter.

    If it really is being made MANDATORY for all federal employees and contractors? What reason are they arguing that it shouldn’t be MANDATORY in every business throughout America? Every patriotic employer should use the E-Verification process? Unfortunately it’s still voluntary for the public sector, which I am sure has been strongly influenced by US Chamber of Commerce, ACLU, Cato Institute and Council of Foreign Relations. Please don’t take my word for the ominous agendas of these organizations? Allow yourself to–GOOGLE– the rancid truth by surfing the Internet about these outfits? These are all anti-sovereignty, pro-illegal–CHEAP LABOR ENTITIES. They refuse any restrictions of any–REAL BORDER ENFORCEMENT?

    The next step is to push our SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN to implement rigid INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT. An army of E-Verify federal inspectors to make unannounced visits to Human Resources, stores, factories, industry, businesses with a general warrant to audit books around the country. This would certainly
    be a parasite employers nightmare and hold their feet to the proverbial fire. Those who consider hiring illegal cheap labor will instantly condemn themselves to heavy fine, confiscation of business asset and even a prison term if caught with the undocumented labor.

    Always the ACLU, the subversive La Raza (THE RACE) is up front with filing lawsuits, against any town that considers ordinances to stop illegal immigrants from settling there. These are–ALL OPEN BORDER ZEALOTS–Brought and paid for by corporate money. If we didn’t have sincere patriotic Senators like Sessions, E-Verify would have been tabled and hidden away from public view. Outside of the main Washington political elitists, very few listen to the voices of the American Worker who every day compete for jobs that foreign labor steal. My guess is the Democrats have allowed the authorization of a permanent E-Verify, knowing full well the Chuck Schumer Immigration Reform–BLANKET AMNESTY will make it worthless tool anyway?

    Giving 13 to 20 million plus families who rely heavily on government benefits will bankrupt America, according to the estimate of 2.5 Trillion dollars, Robert Rector at the Heritage Foundation. Then their is the next tsunami of poor people expecting to benefit from a further Amnesty, waiting patiently in other impoverished societies around the earth. CALL YOUR POLITICIAN DEMANDING A MANDATED E-VERIFY, NO AMNESTY! 202-224-3121. Honest facts at NUMBERSUSA, CAPSWEB, AMERICANPATROL & FAIR. ANOTHER AMNESTY WILL LEAD TO IRREVERSIBLE OVERPOPULATION!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *