On the Border

“A New Jersey labor broker and a security guard firm in California are among thousands of businesses that have filed Social Security tax payments for a large number of workers that do not match any known taxpayer. That, the Social Security agency says, is a sign that the workers are most likely illegal. In 2001, payments for 96% of the New Jersey company's workers did not correspond to any taxpayer on file. Yet the authorities who enforce immigration law have no access to the names of the companies or the workers.”
And less than 1% of the money earmarked for immigration enforcement is used for crackdowns at the workplace, with the overwhelming majority spent at the nation's borders. The border, where 99% of the money is spent, is the last place we should be looking. Let the Minuteman do that. They seem to like sitting out in the desert with a camp chair and a cooler full of cold ones nearby. And they do it for free! Who makes these decisions? Why?

Last year, 127 employers were convicted for hiring undocumented workers — a very small fraction of the thousands of businesses thought to be using illegal labor. Is that because of this odd fact? “The number of federal workers who focus on finding illegal immigrants on the job has dropped in recent years, from 240 in 1999 to 90 in 2003.”
But wait, the government has a tool for employers to use and Basic Pilot is the name of this software gem. With Basic Pilot, employers enter employee information into a website within three days of making a new hire. “The system matches the information with data at the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, using Social Security numbers to confirm or deny the employee's eligibility to work. Employees who do not get confirmation must be fired.”“

Three days? Why does it take three days? In three days you have integrated that worker into your business. He or she is part of your overall strategy for doing business now. To remove them will cost you money in lost efficiency and unnecessary paperwork. And you have to start over again, with the same chances of success. Why would anyone want to use such a system? Well, it’s voluntary, and many don’t use it. Can you blame them? “About 5,500 of the country's 8 million employers were registered to use Basic Pilot in March.” … 15% of queries to the Homeland Security Department had to be entered manually. Government computers aren’t always linked. Why not? “The program can detect document fraud, but it is blind to identity theft. Borrowing a legal worker's name and Social Security number allows an undocumented worker to sail through the checks.”

Congress and the Senate now want to make the use of Basic Pilot, mandatory. The same people, who brought you FEMA, want you to trust them to do it right…this time. But not to worry…the Senate wants to give employers 5 years to implement the program. The House version gives employers 6 years…