New Report Analyzes State-Level E-Verify Policies

Online Tool Used at 900,000 Worksites, 1,200 New Businesses Sign Up Weekly

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) today released a new report, An Overview of E-Verify Policies at the State Level, detailing the growing and varied use and enforcement of E-Verify by states since being upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2011. Use of E-Verify, the federally run employment authorization program, is required by 16 states for some or all employers; such mandates play a key role in state level efforts to discourage illegal immigration.

"There is much variability in the state use of E-Verify. Some states require all businesses to use the program and some require only public agencies or contractors; some states have stringent enforcement policies, and some ignore enforcement altogether," comments Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center. "This new report allows policymakers to compare and evaluate differing state immigration laws and decide how to best incorporate E-Verify into their own state immigration laws so as to increase compliance."

The report can be found online at  http://www.cis.org/e-verify-at-the-state-level.

E-Verify is a free, Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine new hires' eligibility to work in the United States by comparing a new employee's name, Social Security number, and date of birth against millions of government records. The program generally provides results in three to five seconds. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than 353,000 employers use E-Verify at nearly 900,000 worksites. About 1,200 new businesses sign up each week. In fiscal year 2011, the program ran more than 17.4 million queries. The federal government requires its contractors to use E-Verify, but use of the system has not yet been made mandatory for all employers nationwide.

The report, authored by Jon Freere, Legal Policy Analyst, examines the E-Verify policies implemented by the 16 states, as well as the three states (Colorado, Utah, and Tennessee) which require some verification system, though not necessarily E-Verify, and the three states (California, Rhode Island, and Illinois) which either prohibit E-Verify or discourage E-Verify mandates.

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization. Since its founding in 1985, the Center has pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

CONTACT: Marguerite Telford
[email protected] (202) 466-8185

SOURCE Center for Immigration Studies

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