On June 14, 2006, in an unprecedented effort to crack down on and penalize U.S. employers who employ aliens lacking valid immigration status, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) proposed regulations mandating each employer's legal obligations upon receiving letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA) indicating that the information submitted does not match SSA records (a "No-Match Letter") or a DHS notice that immigration documents presented by an employee do not match DHS records.
The proposed rule, which may take effect in early 2007, is already sending chills through the business community since immigrants represent a majority of labor in a multitude of sectors including the hospitality and garment industries, agriculture and food services. Additionally, immigrants stand to face civil and criminal liability for unauthorized employment while employers face potential privacy violations and are exposed to the consequences of potential false “no-match” notices based on the mandated procedures.
Source: www.aila.org.
