The Key To Effective Immigration Reform

Did you know . . .

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 authorized a system that now allows the use of 29 different forms of identification as proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.  The wide variety of documents – including drivers’ licenses, birth certificates, foreign passports, refugee travel documents, voter registration cards and school records – has created a system that cannot prevent unauthorized employment, and actually encourages illegal immigrants to engage in fraud and identity theft to obtain jobs.

In 1996, Congress authorized the development of several employment verification systems to improve upon the paper-based system – including the “Basic Pilot,” a voluntary electronic employment verification system.

• The Basic Pilot’s accuracy is severely limited by the proliferation of fraudulent identity documents.  Basic Pilot does not verify the authenticity of the identity being presented, only that the identity presented matches information in the Social Security and DHS databases.  In fact, there is evidence that Basic Pilot may encourage identity theft by prospective employees to ensure that their information is cleared by the system.

• According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 92% of U.S. employers would endorse the establishment of an electronic employment verification system that would bring certainty to the process.  

• Required participation in the Basic Pilot, however, repeats and magnifies past mistakes and ultimately will fail to provide the security needed.

• A commitment of resources and the use of state-of-the-art technology are needed to create a truly effective and efficient workforce verification system.

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