Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/20/11

In a news conference on Thursday, Tyson Foods Inc. and the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency hailed the company’s participation in the government’s IMAGE program.

IMAGE stands for “ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers,” and is a more stringent version of E-Verify, a program widely used by employers to match applicants’ Social Security numbers and other forms of documentation against government records.

For Tyson to become IMAGE-certified, the company made all of its Form I-9 employment eligibility documents available for ICE review, cooperated with government field audits of selected plant locations and also allowed ICE to check the Social Security numbers of all company employees.

With its participation, ICE Director John Morton noted, Tyson is a standard-setter in an industry that has been disrupted by raids and stymied by artfully forged documents and other subterfuges used by unauthorized immigrants seeking work.

“[Tyson is a] company in an industry where employment verification has been important for some time,” Morton said. “Tyson has long gone beyond the letter of the law … to create a situation that, when and if ICE shows up next, there aren’t going to be any violations.”

At a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. today, Tyson Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Ken Kimbro said, "We believe our participation confirms to our customers, plant communities and others that Tyson uses best hiring practices to maintain a lawful workforce. We also believe this partnership will enhance our ability to collaborate with government officials on immigration-related matters."

Morton also announced that the IMAGE program has set up its own center of operations, adding 15 full-time auditors to the agency’s existing audit workforce of 137.

“We don’t want to be restricted from auditing a certain industry or a certain size of employer” by having limited staff available to ensure compliance with hiring regulations, Morton said.

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