Why the crackdown Immigration is growing at a rate unseen in almost 80 years. While 1 million immigrants enter the US legally each year, more than 5 million others arrive illegally, more than half of those from Mexico. If all goes well at the 950 employer test sites in Texas, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York, employers may, for the first time, get their immigration questions answered quickly. This takes the guesswork out of it. INS officials are quick to note that the verification is not meant to screen out prospective workers, but rather be a double-check for those already hired.
Businesses call in the workers' identifying information.
If the name and number don't match, the employer must send the employee to the Social Security office, and later, the INS office, to have the error corrected - if it can be. One company that praises the new pilot verification system is the Texas restaurant chain owned by Pappas Partners of Houston. Like many participants in the pilot program, Pappas Partners came to appreciate the benefits of verification only after being busted. Last year, after repeated INS raids, the restaurant chain admitted to hiring, shielding, and hiding undocumented kitchen staff. One restaurant even hid an employee in a false ceiling during raids.