No More Federal Contracts Without E-Verify

The Secretary announced that federal contracts will be awarded only to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization. “Requiring those who seek federal contracts to use this system will create a more reliable and legal workforce,” Napolitano said in a press release. Full implementation of the rule will apply to federal solicitations and contract awards Government –wide beginning September 8, 2009.

About E-Verify

E-Verify, which compares information from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) against federal government databases to verify workers' employment eligibility, is a free web-based system operated by DHS in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The system facilitates compliance with federal immigration laws and helps to deter unauthorized individuals from attempting to work and also helps employers avoid employing unauthorized aliens.

The following is an overview of E-Verify usage:

      · More than 134,000 employers currently use E-Verify, according to DHS;

      · Since October 1, 2008, E-Verify processed more than 6,000,000 queries;

      · The majority of users are satisfied with it, based on an April 2009 American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey.

      · One reason employers like E-Verify may be its speed and efficiency. Independent research indicates that nearly 97% of the queries processed by the system are confirmed as work-authorized within 24 hours.

Improvements to E-Verify Continue

In addition to expanding participation, DHS continues to enhance E-Verify in order to guard against errors, enforce compliance, promote proper usage, and enhance security.

      · E-Verify recently incorporated new processes to reduce typographical errors, and new features to reduce initial mismatches;

      · In May 2008, DHS added access to naturalization database records, increasing the program's ability to automatically verify the status of naturalized citizens. The result was a reduction in citizenship-related mismatches of 39%;

      · Department of State passport data was incorporated in February 2009, in an effort to reduce mismatches among citizens born outside the U.S.;

      · Further initiatives designed to improve the accuracy of the Federal database are under way

             o new tools to guard against fraud, misuse and discrimination:

             o strengthening of training, monitoring and compliance; and

             o enhancements in privacy protections.