Immigration and the workplace.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

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Twenty states passed laws last year directed at both immigrant workers and employers. Federal law already prohibits employers from hiring unauthorized workers. It requires employers to verify the identity and the work status of prospective employees. The law established a voluntary Internet-based pilot program to help verify the work authorization of new hires.

Last year, several states passed employer-based laws that: reinforce the federal prohibition; add penalties such as barring government contracts from being awarded to businesses that employ illegal workers; or address the verification of work authorization. Several, however, are being challenged in court.

States also passed laws last year that aim at illegal workers' eligibility for benefits such as unemployment insurance and workers' compensation.

Arizona passed the Fair and...