E-Verify Initiatives Include Discrimination Referrals

Approximately 192,000 employers are now participating in E-Verify, the electronic employment eligibility verification system operated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Following the release of a report detailing some continuing issues with the E-Verify system (see the report in the March 2010 issue of the Immigration eAuthority), USCIS issued a fact sheet outlining a series of initiatives designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of E-Verify. In addition to providing employee and employer civil rights and civil liberties videos and establishing an employee hotline for inquiries, issues and complaints regarding E-Verify, USCIS announced an agreement with the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Council for  Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) to refer allegations involving potential discrimination gleaned from E-Verify. USCIS will share data from E-Verify queries to the OSC to assist in indentifying violations of the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As such, employers are encouraged to train and review the activities of personnel responsible for running E-Verify queries when signing up for the program, whether E-Verify participation is voluntarily or required by law.