WASHINGTON, DC (July 30, 2012) – The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) today released a new report, An Overview of E-Verify Policies at the State Level, detailing the growing and varied use of E-Verify by states since being upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2011. Use of E-Verify, the federally run employment authorization program, is required by 16 states for some or all employers; such mandates play a key role in state level efforts to discourage illegal immigration.

“There is much variability in the state use of E-Verify. Some states require all businesses to use the program and some require only public agencies or contractors; some states have stringent enforcement policies, and some ignore enforcement altogether,” comments Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center. “This new report allows policymakers to compare and evaluate differing state immigration laws and decide how to best incorporate E-Verify into their own state immigration laws so as to increase compliance.”

The report can be found online at http://cis.org/e-verify-at-the-state-level

E-Verify is a free, Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine new hires' eligibility to work in the United States by comparing a new employee’s name, Social Security number, and date of birth against millions of government records. The program generally provides results in three to ï¬�ve seconds. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than 353,000 employers use E-Verify at nearly 900,000 worksites. About 1,200 new businesses sign up each week. In ï¬�scal year 2011, the program ran more than 17.4 million queries. The federal government requires its contractors to use E-Verify, but use of the system has not yet been made mandatory for all employers nationwide.

The report, authored by Jon Feere, Legal Policy Analyst, examines the E-Verify policies implemented by the 16 states, as well as the three states (Colorado, Utah, and Tennessee) which require some verification system, though not necessarily E-Verify, and the three states (California, Rhode Island and Illinois) which either prohibit E-Verify or discourage E-Verify mandates.