The Crackdown on Employment of Illegal Immigrants
Spreads to California
Mahsa Aliaskari
Matthew B. Hayes
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Murrieta and Temecula Join Growing List of Southern California Cities Requiring Employers to Use E-Verify
In 2007, Arizona became the first state to pass legislation requiring employers to use the voluntary E-Verify1 program to confirm the employment eligibility of new hires. Since then, Arizona has been the focal point for publicity and legal challenges on attempts by states and localities to crack down on the employment of illegal immigrants. However, Arizona is not the only place where we are seeing state and local action.
Behind the scenes, several Southern California cities have quietly followed Arizona’s lead enacting similar laws mandating use of E-Verify. On July 13, 2010, Temecula joined the growing list of Southern California cities requiring employers to use E-Verify as a condition for maintaining a business license, and on December 20, 2010, Murrieta’s city council moved forward with its plans to institute a similar ordinance. While the State of California has not jumped on the bandwagon, many of its localities are taking action and increasing the burden on companies doing business not only across state lines but across city and county lines.
The Crackdown on Employment of Illegal Immigrants Spreads to California | The National Law Review
DHS Steps Up Employment Verification (I-9 Form) Enforcement with Help from E-Verifyby Tom Ahearn May 22, 2009
According to a recent article on Businessweek.com, the new Obama Administration will
intensify efforts to crack down on companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants with help from the electronic employment verification (I-9 Form) system known as E-Verify.
At a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the DHS – which includes the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) –
will target employers more than workers to tackle illegal immigration.
In an effort to determine what employers actually know about their employees' status, Napolitano said that the
DHS will increase audits of the Employee Eligibility Verification forms – also known as
I-9 Forms – that employers must use to verify their employees' identification and confirm that they have the right to work in the United States.
I-9 Compliance Updates - DHS Steps Up Employment Verification (I-9 Form) Enforcement with Help from E-Verify