Critics see Big Brother in employment verification plan

ROB HOTAKAINEN
McClatchy Newspapers
Sunday, May 18, 2008

WASHINGTON -- For critics, the idea is an Orwellian nightmare: The federal government would begin signing off on every hiring decision made in the United States.

It's the latest plan to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. The nation's 7.4 million employers would be required to provide the government with Social Security numbers for all new employees -- more than 55 million a year -- and federal employees would then use a huge electronic database to do cross-checks. The new system would aim to detect any workers who got their jobs by using fraudulent Social Security numbers.

For advocates, though, it's a fine idea, an easy way to quickly verify the eligibility of new employees.

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"If the government turns a blind eye to illegal behavior, our rule of law will be undermined and chaos will ensue," said Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., one of 32 members of the House of Representatives pushing a bill to create the system.

Enormous implications

Whether it's regarded as Big Brother or a big improvement, the plan is getting a good vetting on Capitol Hill. It has enormous implications for employers and the Social Security Administration, which would conduct the background checks.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the plan, says the legislation would create a "no-work list" in the Washington bureaucracy.

"Americans should not have to ask their federal government if they have permission to accept a new job," said Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office.

Other opponents fear that the assignment would overwhelm the Social Security Administration, which is already overburdened.

"Disability cases are piling up, and needy people are waiting years to receive their benefits," said Barbara Kennelly, president and chief executive officer of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

Testifying before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security last week, she said that the plan would divert the agency's workers from their current jobs. And she noted the high cost: $10 billion over nine years, or nearly 10 percent of the agency's administrative budget.

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