Presidential Executive Order Extends E-Verify to Federal Contractors

Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 12:46 PM EST - posted on NumbersUSA

President George W. Bush

On June 6, President Bush signed an executive order requiring Federal contractors to use E-Verify, a free, Internet-based system that enables employers to check an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. within seconds.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now propose regulations to implement the order, which requires federal contractors to use E-Verify when they start work under new government contracts or hire new workers under existing contracts.

“Extension of E-Verify usage to Federal contractors is a logical choice given that Federal agencies and Congress already are required to use the verification system,” said NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck. “Now we need to finish the job by passing the SAVE Act and extending E-Verify to all employers over time.”

E-Verify is now available nationwide with about 70,000 employers participating. The system already handles one in eight new hires, and automatically cleared 99.5 percent of the four-million-plus queries made this year, according to DHS.