Verification nation.

• Author: Howley, Kerry
• Position: Immigration data mess - Department of Homeland Security pushes E-verify

IN AUGUST the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) renewed its push for "E-Verify," a 10-year-old federal program also known as "Basic Pilot." The American Civil Liberties Union has a different name for it: a "permission slip to work." The system, which employers can use to check the immigration status of potential new hires against federal databases, is currently experimental and voluntary, but no one expects it to stay voluntary forever.

One state isn't waiting. By passing a proposal that state Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa), its sponsor, humbly dubbed "the greatest bill in the nation," the Arizona legislature made use of E-Verify mandatory for all Arizona businesses starting January 1, 2008. Illinois took the opposite tack in August, prohibiting employers from using E-Verify until DHS could meet certain criteria for accuracy.

Because the databases it draws on are notoriously inaccurate, civil rights groups have long warned that E-Verify would prove disastrous for foreign-born American citizens and legal residents. The Social Security Administration estimates that 17.8 million of its records contain discrepancies that could lead to...