Expansion of E-Verify Halted for Review

The Bush administration planned to require government contractors who do more than $100,000 of business to verify all new hires through the E-Verify system of the Social Security Administration. Critics have claimed that the system is notoriously unreliable. It's as likely to hurt legal workers as the undocumented. The Obama administration is putting a hold on requiring it till it can be further studied. Homeland Secretary Janet Nepolitano has faith its problem can be resolved, but immigrant advocates would prefer the issue be part of a comprehensive immigration reform. (See Washington Post article.)