From Deseret News archives:
Worker verification bill is aimed at identity theft
At a Florida location of ALSCO, a Salt Lake-based linen supply and industrial laundry, 10 percent of new hires were found ineligible to work since 2003.
"I was expecting a higher number one-third or 25 percent," said Garrido, employment law and regulatory compliance manager for ALSCO, which participates in the Basic Pilot Employment Verification Program.
For now, Basic Pilot is a voluntary way to verify, through the Department of Homeland Security, that new hires are eligible to work in the United States. However, a new bill introduced in the Utah House of Representatives would make verifying Social Security numbers mandatory.
Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, said details of the bill, HB179, are still being worked out. He did not say how employers would be required to verify the information for new hires.
"It's to help with identity theft," Donnelson said. "It's not foolproof, but it's a start."
Donnelson said his bill is targeted at identity theft in general, not just undocumented workers. However, Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah, said he sees a troubling trend since Donnelson is also sponsoring bills to repeal the driving privilege card and in-state tuition for some undocumented students.
"It appears to me that Rep. Donnelson is just out to get the undocumented community," Yapias said. "Why can't we work toward sensible reform?"
The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce had no immediate comment on the bill, which is still being drafted, said spokesman Michael DeGroote.
Michael Clara, spokesman for the Utah Hispanic/Latino Legislative Task Force, declined to comment on the bill until members of the bipartisan group could discuss it.
Alex Segura, director of the Utah Minuteman Project, said HB179 is a needed step in preventing "rampant fraud."
"This is just a way to combat identity theft and document fraud and hopefully get some people out of the work force who shouldn't be working," Segura said.
ALSCO is one of about 60 companies with 276 sites in Utah that use Basic Pilot, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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