The latest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) criminal investigation resulting in a $1.3 million fine started with an ICE review of the company’s Forms I-9 and Social Security ‘No-Match’ letters.

• Texas Managers Guilty: The president and three managers of a Houston baking material supply company pleaded guilty to hiring illegal aliens. The company pleaded guilty to conspiring to harbor illegal aliens and agreed to pay a fine of $1.3 million.

Each year the Social Security Administration sends hundreds of thousands of letters to employers known as SS ‘No-Match’ letters.

• Social Security No-Match: Letters inform employers that the SS numbers reported for payroll purposes do not match the agency’s records of name and date of birth, placing companies on notice that SS numbers listed for the employees are not valid.

A No-Match letter does not necessarily mean the employee is an illegal worker. It only means that the SS number, name and date of birth do not match. Employers should:

• Notify Employee: Give employee written notification of the invalid number. Ask the employee to go to a SSA office and get documentation that the number is valid.
• Start Using E-Verify: Before a new hire starts work, use the government’s free Internet-based E-Verify to electronically compare the data provided by the employee against 425 million records in SSA’s data base.

• 7-Day Deadline: It is inappropriate to ask if an employee with an invalid SS number is an illegal worker. If the employee does not produce a valid SS number within 7 days, you may terminate him but encourage the employee to return when a valid number is obtained.

To register for the next SmartForm I-9 Seminar call Allott Immigration Law Firm at 303-797-8055, or click here for online sign up.