Fatal Flaws: Social Security Administration Shows Us How E-Verify Doesn’t Work

Despite consistent reports of serious deficiencies in the system, E-Verify has often been said to be the answer to the enforcement of the employer sanctions provisions of the U.S. immigration laws.  Immigration Impact reports that the E-Verify website claims that the process for verifying whether workers are authorized for employment in the United States is simple. The practices of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the agency that jointly administers E-Verify with the Department of Homeland Security, tell a different story. According to a report released this month by the SSA Inspector General, though required by law, the agency failed to use E-Verify on nearly 20 percent of their new hires. The report documenting SSA’s myriad mishaps is proof of what workers’ rights advocates have long believed: E-Verify is still not ready for widespread use.

KJ