THE DAILY BLADE: Do Local, State And Federal Agencies Hire Illegal Aliens?
Columnist Debra J. Saunders writes about Carl Olson, chairman of the watchdog group State Department Watch, and his uphill battle to ensure that government entities obey the law and use the no-cost federal Basic Pilot program to verify that job applicants are authorized to work in the U.S.:
Don't look to Sacramento for relief. State Department Watch co-sponsored legislation with state Sen. Bill Morrow, which would have required California to use Basic Pilot when hiring state employees. The bill also required private employers to use Basic Pilot. It got one measly vote in committee.
"The U.S. government doesn't even use its own system on itself," Olson noted. Actually, that's about to change. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Chris Bentley told me his agency is "making that connection right now." That is, the agency is gearing up to use Basic Pilot.
What about other federal agencies? "A handful of government agencies are using Basic Pilot right now," Bentley responded, adding that a new $100 million appropriation will be used to boost private and federal participation. (I should add, law-enforcement agencies generally conduct in-depth security checks.) …
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun to check the status of people employed at critical infrastructure worksites, to prevent terrorist attacks. In May, ICE agents arrested eight Los Angeles Department of Water and Power workers because they were illegal. Their jobs ranged from blue collar to management. One arrested worker made more than $100,000 a year, according to The Associated Press. …
The raid got Olson's attention. "I was totally floored," he told me, but his "suspicions were confirmed." So he began his quest to find government agencies that want to comply with immigration law. He calls it the Diogenes Honesty Search -- as he is looking for government agencies that show an honest commitment to comply with immigration law.
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