A trial related to the nation's largest workplace raid on illegal immigrants has been postponed until January.

Jose Humberto Gonzalez is accused of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, some with stolen identities, to work at Howard Industries in Laurel. The plant was raided Aug. 25, 2008. Nearly 600 suspected illegal immigrants were detained.

Gonzalez was first indicted in May on conspiracy and employee fraud charges. A new indictment was issued Sept. 16 and included charges of aggravated identity theft.

Gonzalez asked for a continuance of the Oct. 19 trial date to prepare against the new charges. The trial is now set for Jan. 11 in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue has issued a sales tax and corporate income tax recommendation notice that states that taxpayers who plan to apply for a project under a Nebraska tax incentive program (Nebraska Advantage Act, Nebraska Advantage Rural Development Act, Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit Act, or Nebraska Advantage Research and Development Act) on or after October 1, 2009, should register for E-Verify now and electronically verify the work eligibility of all newly hired employees employed in Nebraska as of October 1, 2009. To claim a research and development credit for a tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2009, taxpayers need to verify the work eligibility of all newly hired employees employed in Nebraska beginning on or after October 1, 2009. E-Verify is a free Web-based system that electronically verifies the employment eligibility of newly hired employees.

(E-Verify Notice, Nebraska Department of Revenue, September 17, 2009.)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made changes to the federal contractor designation in E-Verify, allowing organizations to select either “Federal Contractor with E-Verify Clause” or “Federal Contractor without E-Verify clause” when enrolling or updating their profile. In a memo published this week, DHS explained that many companies had incorrectly identified their organization as a “Federal Contractor” in the E-Verify system prior to the September 8th effective date even though they did not yet have a contract with the E-Verify clause.

As a result of these changes, if you selected the former designation of “Federal Contractor” when you enrolled or updated your organization’s profile before September 8th, your designation has been automatically set to Federal Contractor without E-Verify Clause (if you have not taken the federal refresher tutorial) or Federal Contractor with E-Verify Clause (if you have taken the tutorial). DHS advises that you check your federal contractor status and make any appropriate adjustments.

Regardless of these administrative changes, it is important to remember that your organization should not begin E-verifying existing employees until you are awarded a federal contract that includes the E-Verify clause and have updated your profile. Using E-Verify for existing employees before these steps is prohibited under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Two owners of a Bellingham engine-rebuilding company that was raided in January, raising questions about federal policies on illegal immigrants, were sentenced Monday to a year on probation and their business must pay a $100,000 fine.

Shafique Amirali Dhanani and Shirin Dhanani Makala, corporate directors, managers and two owners of family-owned Yamato Engine Specialists, were spared prison time, fines and restitution in plea agreements followed to the letter by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart.

A guilty plea was entered earlier Monday for Yamato, which agreed to pay half the fine immediately and the balance by Dec. 31. The company also must take out a half-page advertisement in The Bellingham Herald to describe how it got into hot water for hiring undocumented workers.

"These are not the most serious crimes. They are not the most violent crimes. They don't involve guns or drugs," Robart said, "but they are important ... this is a serious matter."

Dhanani and Makala, a brother and sister from a hardworking family that left Uganda decades ago, pleaded guilty in August. They could have faced at least five years in prison and fines of $250,000, and the company could have been fined $500,000.

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy has vetoed a County Council ordinance that required private companies that do business with the county to ensure their employees can legally work in the United States.

McCarthy told the council Tuesday she does not oppose the program. But she wants changes that she says will ensure it works well.

The council’s plan requires companies with county contracts to enroll in and use the federal E-Verify program, which checks an employee’s identity against several federal databases. It also requires the county to use the E-Verify program to check the status of its own workers.

Effective today, certain employers with federal contracts must sign up to use the E-Verify system. The rule has been delayed several times as a result of litigation, but those efforts failed and hopes that the Obama Administration would reject the Bush Administration proposal were dashed this summer.

Here is my FAQ document regarding the new rule.