Federal contractors to use E-Verify

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Monday said E-Verify is the electronic employment eligibility verification system federal contractors must use.

"A large part of our success in enforcing the nation's immigration laws hinges on equipping employers with the tools to determine quickly and effectively if a worker is legal or illegal," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a news release. "E-Verify is a proven tool that helps employers immediately verify the legal working status for all new hires."

Chertoff's announcement followed an executive order signed by President George Bush directing the federal government to require that contractors use an electronic employment eligibility verification system as a condition of being awarded federal contracts.

E-Verify is a free, Internet-based system that allows enrolled employers to determine the legal status of new employees within seconds. More than 69,000 employers use E-Verify to determine whether new employees are authorized to work in the United States, Chertoff said.