E-verify’s Weaknesses
The most important thing that needs to be checked in the entire Form I-9 process is the document. Is it real? Does it belong to the person presenting it? The major weakness of the Department of Homeland Security’s E-verify program is that it does not pick up identity theft or fraud. It might not identify those people who are using valid numbers but false documents.
According to the Department of Homeland (DHS) officials, the use of fraudulent documents by aliens is extensive. CBP officers have intercepted tens of thousands of fraudulent documents every year. The types of false documents most frequently intercepted by CBP officers include border crossing cards, alien registration cards, non-immigrant visas, and passports and citizenship documents (both U.S. and foreign). CBP reports that large-scale counterfeiting has made fraudulent employment eligibility documents (e.g., Social Security cards) widely available.
A glaring example of E-Verify’s pitfalls is what happened to Swift & Company, a meatpacking enterprise with operations in several states. The company had used E-Verify for its employees and was under the impression that they were indeed eligible to work. But in a 2006 raid, ICE officials arrested 1,300 people who had used valid - yet stolen - Social Security numbers and other documents in order to work.