The Obama administration has redirected its focus so that employers will be liable for hiring undocumented workers. This for the most part is a major change from the policies of the past administration. This is in fact in keeping largely with the laws put into effect in Arizona where the employers were fined and risk closure of their businesses, if they were discovered to be hiring undocumented workers.
The Arizona law was put into effect when Janet Napolitano was governor of that state. While controversial, it was considered an effective measure for putting the responsibility where many believed it belonged–on the employer. Now that Napolitano is Director of Homeland Security, it would stand to reason this reform was thought to have greater merit than past measures taken by the previous administrations.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, this is among the first steps by the Obama Administration to overhaul the Immigration System. The goal here is to reduce unfair competition in the work force by trying to eliminate undocumented workers being hired for a much lower wage than legal employees. With the economy being in a slump there is increased belief that American workers should get priority for available jobs. The recession has taken its toll and jobs that were once thought to be unattractive to documented workers now have appeal. Simply put, people out of work will look for anything that helps them get along in a tough economy.
As for employers, with this new focus, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to hire undocumented workers. There will be serious fines, closures, and the suspension of business operations. These can hardly prove a viable option for employers who are struggling as it is through this rough patch in the economy. The added embarrassment is to be exposed in the news as a company who knowingly or unwittingly hires illegals when legitimate workers are searching for jobs.
This is the time to conduct background checks on your employment candidates and even on your current employees. It is necessary to conduct the Social Security Trace, which will validate a Social Security number and pretty much verify the number in question belongs to your applicant. The few bucks you spend for this background search can save major dollars and liability issues if you are caught hiring undocumented workers. The Everify search is also available online in a paperless form. This will also help verify whether a job applicant is legitimate or not.
Check them out before you hire.
