Last year at this time, we were telling Arizona employers to get their acts together and get ready to start using E-Verify. Beginning January 1, 2008, all employers in that state have been required to use the electronic employment verification system.

Now that a year has passed, it is easier to assess whether the system is working properly for Arizona employers. The USCIS Ombudsman has just issued a report containing his observations. The report finds that employers views of E-Verify largely reflect the size and sophistication of the employer. Mid-size and large employers seem satisfied with the speed and accuracy of the system. But smaller employers representing more than half of the work force complain that the system is not user-friendly. The Ombudsman is recommending that USCIS focus greater outreach efforts on small businesses. Actually, the Ombudsman has five specific recommendations:

More information on each of these recommendations can be found in the report.

The report also had an interesting data note. In the next few weeks, E-Verify is likely to have its 100,000th employer sign up to use the system. That number should jump dramatically when 168,000 federal contractors start using the system beginning next month.

USCIS announced on its web site today that it is releasing shortly an interim final rule on I-9s and 45 days after that a new I-9 form must be used by the nation's employers. Not a ton of changes, but there is now a separate box for claiming to be a non-citizen national (up until now there was a single box for citizens and nationals. According to USCIS, here are the major changes:

Here's the draft language of the new rule as well as the USCIS press release.

new I-9 rule 12 09 - Get more Business Documents

USCIS Revises Employment El.. - Get more Business Documents

I can think of one person who benefits from illegal immigrants: The Consumer, whose cost of numerous indispensible services decreases s a result of low paid illegal immmigrants. If people dont like illegal immigrants performing labor intensive work, maybe they should do it themselves. Until everyone cuts their own lawn, flips their own burger, cleans their own house and builds their own additions they should shut their ignorant white-trash mouths.

I must confess that my mouth dropped open in shock the first time I heard the phrase ""Support for NPR comes from NPR stations, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), offering E-Verify, confirming the legal working of new hires. At DHS dot gov slash E-Verify."

NPR has been on the defensive ever since arguing that the underwriting money has no bearing on the media organization's journalism. The Electronic Privacy Information Center is taking NPR to task because FCC rules state that public broadcasters like NPR may include "...slogans which identify and do not promote". EPIC claims NPR has crossed the line with the E-Verify language.

HONOLULU - Two managers for an agricultural conglomerate based in Waipahu, Hawaii, have been indicted on a variety of federal charges, including aiding and abetting visa fraud, as a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

David Kato, 51, and Glen Kelley McCaig, 43, who work for The Farms, were taken into custody this afternoon based on charges contained in a federal indictment unsealed today. In addition to the visa fraud allegations, the men are accused of abetting the misrepresentation of a Social Security number, employment eligibility fraud and providing false statements to federal investigators.

The charges stem from an ICE investigation into The Farms that began last July, when federal, state and local law enforcement officers executed federal search warrants at a Waipahu apartment complex and arrested 43 illegal aliens on administrative immigration violations. Subsequently, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii filed criminal charges against 23 of the aliens for employment fraud.

Under the indictment, Kato is charged with six felony counts and McCaig with 16. If convicted of all the charges, Kato faces up to 45 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine; McCaig faces 100 years in prison and a $4 million fine. The defendants made their initial appearance in federal court here this afternoon.

"Employers who exploit illegal alien labor and violate our nation's employment laws face serious consequences," said Wayne Wills, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Hawaii. "This indictment sends a strong deterrent message to other employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens."

"Undocumented workers and those who knowingly employ them deprive our citizens of employment opportunities, especially during these hard economic times," said U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo. "They are stealing jobs and wages from our people and their families, and they must be held accountable. Those who knowingly employ illegal aliens must pay for committing serious crimes. The U.S. Attorney's Office will continue to work with ICE to hold employers accountable for violating employment laws."

In 2008, ICE made more than 1,100 criminal arrests tied to worksite enforcement investigations. Of those charged criminally in these types of cases, 130 were business owners, managers, supervisors, or human resource employees. Altogether, ICE work-site investigations yielded 881 criminal convictions last fiscal year for crimes ranging from alien harboring and knowingly hiring illegal aliens, to identity theft and Social Security fraud. In addition to the criminal arrests, ICE also took 5,100 illegal aliens into custody on administrative immigration violations during work-site investigations.

BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 16 Mexican nationals this morning on administrative immigration violations at an Idaho wood framing company.

The illegal workers, all of whom are male, were employed by Idaho Truss in Nampa, Idaho, and will be placed in deportation proceedings. The arrests are part of an ongoing ICE worksite enforcement investigation.

All of those taken into custody were fingerprinted and photographed. They were also interviewed by ICE agents to determine if they had any medical, caregiver or other humanitarian issues. The interviews assist ICE in determining whether an individual will remain in ICE custody or be eligible for an alternative to detention based on humanitarian factors while they await a hearing before a federal immigration judge.

ICE initiated this investigation after reviewing the employment records of individuals who were helping build military housing at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Further investigation revealed that some of the workers may have secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

"The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations that oversees the agency's activities in Idaho. "This investigation is directly tied to ICE's effort to target those who violate our country's employment laws."

Since its establishment in 2003, ICE has dramatically enhanced its efforts to combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in the United States. During fiscal year 2008, ICE made 5,173 administrative immigration arrests at worksites nationally. In addition, 1,101 criminal arrests were made in connection with worksite investigations.

To help employers build a legal workforce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has an initiative called the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers or IMAGE. IMAGE is designed to build cooperative relationships between the government and businesses, strengthen hiring practices, and reduce the unlawful employment of illegal aliens. The initiative also seeks to gain greater industry compliance and corporate due diligence through enhanced training and education of employers. ICE strongly encourages employers to review IMAGE program materials available at www.ICE.gov.

ICE was assisted in this investigation by the Metro Violent Crimes and Gang Task Force based in Nampa and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

It's now definitely on life-support - at least for a few more months. Judge Breyer announced today that he is denying the Bush Administration's request to expedite reviewing whether the recently issued revised social security no-match regulation satisfies the judge's objections and will convince him to lift the injunction barring DHS from implementing the massive enforcement program. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

Instead, Breyer set a standard schedule for consideration of a lawsuit by labor unions and business groups challenging the rule, with written arguments planned through Feb. 24. He observed that the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama might want to take another look at the issue, said Scott Kronland, lawyer for the AFL-CIO and several other unions in the case.

"There was no policy reason for trying to expedite things to prevent a new administration from looking at these last-minute rules," Kronland said.

So the ball is now in President-elect Obama's court. What a President Obama will do is far from clear at this point.

Support for NPR comes from NPR stations and the Department of Homeland Security, offering E-Verify, confirming the legal working status of new hires. At D-H-S dot gov slash E-Verify.