Continued problems with the government's employee identification system, used to uncover illegal immigrants in the workplace, have two U.S. lawmakers proposing biometric social security cards, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Our Los Angeles immigration lawyers and Southern California employment attorneys are appalled at the notion that U.S. citizens could be forced to submit fingerprints or subject yourself to eye-scanners to prove your rights as an American citizen.
The Tribune reports a Chicago-area UPS employee, who was born in the United States, was flagged for possible identity fraud because she had used her married name on a driver's license since 2007. She had been with the company for 25 years and was put at risk of losing her job until she proved her identity.
Such cases of mistaken identity continue to surface with the use of the government's E-verify software, intended to identify illegal immigrants in the workplace. Sen. Charges Schumer, D-NY and Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, are already at the center of the nation's immigration-reform debate. Now the two are suggesting high-tech social security cards, which would use fingerprints or some other form of biometric data to prove someone's identity.
Those refusing to cooperate would face fines or even prison time, according to the Tribune. Privacy groups call it chilling and at least 44 organizations have sent letters of protest to the White House and Congress.
However, lawmakers appear to be warming to the idea, in part because of the problems associated with E-verify, the 13-year-old federal program used to track employee status. Nearly 200,000 companies use the system, with about 1,000 new employers signing up per week. The system checks an employee's identification by matching it with records provided by the Social Security Administration. It is wrong in 4 percent of the cases and the Department of Homeland Security reported an evaluation determined it failed to flag illegal workers using Fake IDs more than half the time.
If you are facing discrimination in the workplace, a civil rights violation or unfair immigration enforcement, the Los Angeles attorneys at HOWARD | NASSIRI offer confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-872-5925 or contact us through this website.
