Employers feel heat on immigration

Arizona's new law imposes sanctions – the stiffest in the US – for hiring illegal workers.

from the July 5, 2007 edition

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While Arizona business organizations are nearly unanimous in saying they want to comply with the new law, they argue that it may prove onerous for employers.

"We are going to be engaging in this mass education campaign to let businesses in Arizona know what it contains, what they need to do to be in compliance, and then what the penalties are for not complying," says Ann Seiden, director of communications for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. But "we feel like [this law] puts this unfair burden on the backs of businesses in this state to solve a national problem."

It is already a federal offense to hire an illegal immigrant. But the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 has rarely been enforced, at least until this past year. And employers were not required to use the federal ID-verification system that sprang from that law. Now, under the Arizona law, companies have to use that system, known as the Basic Pilot Program.

And that requirement puts employers at risk, business experts say.

For example, an illegal immigrant may use a stolen Social Security number on a job application that throws up no red flags initially. But if that illicit number is later discovered in any investigation, the employer could see her business closed down for days while investigators figure out what happened.

Another challenge: the Basic Pilot Program had a 4 percent error rate last year, business groups point out.

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