A government background check database which combines Social Security and immigration sources to verify a potential employee's immigration status may be expanded for general use, complete with a billion dollar price tag to get it up and running on a large scale. The database is designed to help employers distinguish legal and illegal immigrants applying for work. Not a bad idea in theory, but small scale tests haven't exactly shown the system to be error free. Hence the billions. Homeland Security is offering a voluntary program for business owners to test usage of the system, with 6,000 employers currently enrolled.

For more info on the system and its potential pitfalls, click here.

-- MD

Labels: background checks, database