President Bush Signs Executive Order Requiring Federal Contractors to Verify Employees

The Bush Administration has jumped into the illegal immigration issue again by issuing an Executive Order that requires Federal contractors to enroll in the E-Verify Program. The E-Verify Program is a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Agency that verifies that "the information provided by the employee on their Form I-9, the contained in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases is consistent. I hope that the databases are better than the "no fly list".

Federal government contractors will be required to use E-Verify to verify the work authorization of all new hires and existing personnel assigned to perform work on future federal contracts, according to an executive order issued June 6 by President Bush. It is unknown if this order will affect subcontractors as well. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff will be in charge of writing and implementing the rule. But it is unknown how long this rule will be in effect as the next president can issue another executive order rescinding this one.

According to amended Executive Order 12989, "adherence to the general policy of contracting only with providers that do not knowingly employ unauthorized alien workers and that have agreed to utilize an electronic employment verification system designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security to confirm the employment eligibility of their workforce will promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement."

More on this topic can be found on the Building Trades website.