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Economy Forces Revisit of Illegal Immigrants and Jobs Issue

The economy downturn has caused several states to rethink their policies on undocumented workers.   According to an article in the Los Angeles Times,  political action groups are pushing for the State of California to limit social services to illegal immigrants.   The contention is that with a state budgetary deficit at around $25 to $30 Billion, the state can no longer afford to provide these services.

Others argue that the illegal immigrants feed the economy both through taxes and purchases.   For the first time I can remember, there are actually projected numbers in relative categories regarding government outlay to illegal immigrants.   The numbers are interesting as both groups form sides, debating whether the  financial contributions of the illegal immigrants are greater than the financial outlay.

You can argue this either way.   But the fact remains that President Obama’s administration is now placing the onus of responsibility on the employers who recruit undocumented workers and not as much on the workers themselves.   This makes perfect sense, that is if you actually wish to clamp down on the hiring of undocumented workers.   Penalizing the employers and shutting off the job supply is more effective than chasing down the illegal immigrants.

Nevertheless, this is a hotly debated issue.  Our concern here is to make sure as an employer you don’t incur serious fines and business closures as a penalty for hiring undocumented workers.   Among the background checks you should be running on all employment candidates is the Social Security Trace.   This search will validate the job candidate’s social security number and help determine whether it actually belongs to him.

The other solution, perhaps soon to be mandatory, is the E-Verify or I-9.  Corra Group offers the paperless or electronic  version of the E-Verify to our clients.  It’s a lot less mess.

No matter, in this difficult economy the last thing you need is to be laying out money for no other reason than you didn’t vet your job candidates.   This is to say nothing of having your business license suspended and being forced to shut down for several weeks, or even months.

So check them out before you hire.

By Gordon Basichis

Gordon Basichis is the Co-Founder of Corra Group, specializing in pre-employment background checks and corporate research. He has been a marketing and media executive and has worked in the entertainment industry, the financial, health care and technology sectors. He is the author of the best selling Beautiful Bad Girl, The Vicki Morgan Story, a non-fiction novel that helped define exotic sexuality in the late twentieth century. He is the author of the Constant Travellers and has recently completed a new book, The Guys Who Spied for China, dealing with Chinese Espionage in the United States. He has been a journalist for several newspapers and is a screenwriter and producer.