WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today reiterated the need to ensure that the federal government hires only legal immigrants. Grassley introduced an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would require all federal government agencies and departments to use the basic pilot program. The amendment would also require all Department of Defense contractors to use the basic pilot program to check the eligibility of their workers.
The basic pilot program allows employers to electronically verify the identity and work authorization of newly hired workers.
“In 1986 we never predicted how easily available counterfeit documents would be. But, technology has become so sophisticated and inexpensive that fake identification can be found around nearly every corner,” Grassley said. “The basic pilot program is an easy way for the federal government to set a good example for businesses across the country.”
In correspondence last January, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told Grassley that more than 400 federal agencies already use the basic pilot program. Grassley said that he did not believe it would be overly burdensome since so many federal agencies already use the program.
Grassley also cited examples of Defense Department contractors that have employed illegal immigrants.
“We’ve seen plenty of evidence that contractors with the Defense Department have been negligent in ensuring that their workers are legal. Some of these illegal immigrants are working in sensitive areas, which makes it all the more important that the identity of the employees working for these contractors be verified,” Grassley said.
The basic pilot program was first authorized in 1996 allowing only six states to participate. The program was reauthorized in 2001 and then expanded in 2003. The last expansion allowed employers in all 50 states the opportunity to voluntarily use the program.