Mandatory E-Verify Included in Trump’s 2018 Budget

Trump’s 2018 budget proposes $15 million of the Department of Homeland Security budget be used to begin the implementation of a mandatory E-Verify.

Since 1996, E-Verify has been voluntary for most employers. It also has become mandatory for federal contractors, certain state contractors and employers that want to implement science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) when hiring foreign graduates of U.S. universities.

However, according to SHRM, barely 10 percent of U.S. employers are currently enrolled in the system today.

If E-Verify were to become mandatory, there is currently no prediction of how long it would take to roll out. The timing could be anywhere from one to five years.

Although it is not required at a federal level, many states have laws that either require or encourage some employers to use E-Verify including:

• Arizona and Mississippi: Required (all employers)
• South Carolina: Encouraged (all employers)
• Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Utah: Required (public contractors)
• Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Utah: Required (state agencies)

GovDocs will be following this subject as it develops. Check back on this subject at Labor Law News – updates to come!