Immigration and Obama

Immigration reform has been a hot topic for the past few years and government programs such as EVerify are working toward ensuring employers are able to remain in top form during audits by the government. As the economic crisis wages on, however, immigration and reform have been pushed to the back burner.

Our nation's capital is gearing up for an unprecedented inauguration for the first black president who promises of change have inspired millions, many questions are lingering in the air. His plate is fuller than any other president inaugurated before him and at the bottom of the piles lies immigration.

During his campaign days, Obama said, "we are a nation of law, as well as a nation of immigrants." His dedication to representing both sides of the issue is clear, what is not clear is how he will change or support policies that are already in place.

Until that unforeseeable time, employers should sit tight with laws already on the books:

• Verify. Complete I-9 employment verification forms for every employee hired after November 6, 1986. Periodic audits are advisable to ensure that the forms are properly completed and updated if necessary.

• Document. Document. Document. Ensure all reasonable and lawful efforts to resolve any employment verification issues are documented, such as a new hire's failure to produce documents within the first three days of work, receipt of social security mismatch letters, or confirmed reports of unauthorized workers. Employers must follow-up to resolve the issue within a reasonable time period, or the employee must be terminated.

• Follow for one, for all. Stick to the same employment verification policies and procedures for all employees, regardless of national origin or citizenship status.

• Keep tabs. Set reminders on priority dates for employees with pending permanent residency applications, and be on the lookout for H-1B filing dates subject to the quota.

• Sign-up for E-Verify. Consider participating in E-Verify to benefit from certain immigration programs, such as permitting employment of certain post-graduates for an increased period of employment authorization

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Dallas School District Issues Fake Social Security Numbers

The Dallas Independent School district has been providing fake social security number to foreign citizens in an attempt to get them on the payroll quickly. Some of the numbers used were already assigned to citizens living elsewhere. In some cases, the certification office used the numbers to run criminal background checks on the new hires.

In an internal report issued in September, the district’s investigative office said that the Texas Education Agency learned of the bogus practice in 2004 and informed DISD that the practice “was illegal.” How long DISD has been issuing the fake numbers is unclear, and it is unknown how many have been issued. The report indicates, however, that the practice went on for many years and was discontinued only last summer.

The fake numbers were issued as a stopgap to expedite the hiring process when hiring positions particularly for bilingual education. The individuals receiving the bogus SSN’s were supposed to tell the officials when they receive their real numbers so they fake ones could be replaced. The investigation found no indication that the fake numbers were provided to the Teacher Retirement System, the IRS, or the SSA.

In July, the district confirmed that 26 of the false numbers were in use after accessing the Social Security Administration database. Liberty accesses a similar system through our partner, Form I9, which verifies the eligibility of a name and social security number electronically. It is unknown at this time whether anybody holding those numbers has been negatively affected.

Though the school district was told to stop issuing the numbers in 2004, the Texas Education Agency’s director, Doug Phillips said his office believed the practice had been stopped at that time. He said Thursday that he was unaware of a law that forbid issuing fake Social Security numbers, “We knew it looked bad and smelled bad. That was the first time we ever heard of that one.”

It is unknown at this time what, if any, action DISD will face for these charges.

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Sex Offender Caught at Local Carnival

The offender in the video below used a fake social security number to dupe his employers and their background screen:



Liberty's Identification Verification Trace (or SSN trace, address trace report) could have caught the fact that the SSN and the name did not match. When hiring somebody to work around children, or hiring a person for any position of trust, it is important to understand the types of background checks available and what they uncover. A single background check will not uncover everything, it is best practice to use them in combination for the most accurate results.

Fortunately, this man was removed from his position before he caused any harm to the company or its patrons.

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