Some U.S. businesses verify applicants' eligibility to work using an online government system called E-Verify. When individuals present their documents showing they're authorized to work, employers can check the validity of that information by using the free tool to compare it with records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.
A Homeland Security official has accused authorities in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, of “reckless reliance” on the program after a Jamaica national working as a police officer there was arrested by immigration authorities even though he'd been vetted through E-Verify when he was hired.
But experts say there are few other options for validating information on work eligibility.
A look at E-Verify by the numbers:
29 years
The E-Verify system has been in use for nearly three decades. It was established as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to help verify the documents that workers present showing that they are authorized to work.
23 states
Unlike I-9 forms, which are federally required for every employer, E-Verify is voluntary unless required in some way by a specific state. Almost half the states require E-Verify for at least some public or private employers, according to an Equifax tally.
1.39 million employers
The government said the number of employers participating in E-Verify rose to nearly 1.4 million this year, but the system isn't widely used. About a fifth of U.S. employers use it, according to U.S. Census figures that show about that there are roughly 6.2 million employer companies in the country. But some big businesses do so, including Walmart, Starbucks and Home Depot.
43.5 million checks
Department of Homeland Security statistics state that E-Verify was used to perform about 43.5 million checks of prospective employees in fiscal 2024. The figure rose toward the end of the fiscal year, as more than 11.5 million checks were run in the final quarter.
98.3% are automatically confirmed
The vast majority of prospective employees checked via E-Verify were confirmed as eligible. About 98.3% were automatically confirmed as work-authorized instantly or within 24 hours, and that required no action by the employer or the employee, according to federal data.
About 1.5% were found not to be work-authorized. The remaining prospective employees were later confirmed as work-authorized after taking action to resolve a mismatch, according to E-Verify's website.
___
Associated Press reporter Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
Labor Day weekend has arrived. What to know about the holiday
With CDC in chaos, scientists and physicians piece together replacements for agency's lost work
Peace efforts in limbo as Ukraine's capital mourns 23 dead after Russian attack
Employers have used E-Verify for years. ICE's arrest of a Maine police officer raises new questions
Fears of mass unrest after judges revoke ban on housing migrants at protest-hit hotel
Japan accelerates missile deployment amid rising regional tensions
