A program designed to catch illegal workers has made waves in Illinois and at Northwestern, where all staff, including tenured faculty, must have their work eligibility tested.

The program, E-Verify, is an Internet-based system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. Created in 1996 the system gathers employee information via electronic Form I-9 and enters it into a database to determine whether the worker is eligible for employment.

Vickie Johnson, who works as operations staff in Norris University Center, said putting her Social Security number online didn’t bother her.

“It seems like it’s becoming the norm,” the Communication freshman said.The two-part process at NU requires employees to complete the electronic Form I-9 and attend one of several offered workshops to establish documentation with the University.

According to NU payroll’s Web site, the system “eliminates Social Security mismatch letters, improves the accuracy of wage and tax reporting, protects jobs for authorized U.S. workers and helps U.S. employers maintain a legal workforce.”

The University sent an e-mail Feb. 2 that offered employees tips to “increase the likelihood of receiving employment authorization.”

NU signed a contract with E-Verify Sept. 30, enrolled in the program Oct. 28 and began using it Jan. 26. All University employees are required to complete E-Verify requirements.According to the DHS Web site, the program is optional for most employers but mandatory for federal contractors.

“Non-compliance with this program could result in suspending or debarring of federal contracts,” according to the University payroll Web site.

NU has gone beyond fulfilling E-Verify requirements. NU requires all employees to participate, not just the required new hires and federal contracted employees.

Jessica Montoya, a supervisor for Norris Mini Courses, said it doesn’t make her uneasy that the University requires everyone to fill out the electronic form.

“Treat people equally,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “That makes sense.”Others said they were unsure why NU would submit all employees to the system.

“There’s a wide variety of opinion on this,” said Communication Prof. Paul Arntson, who added he did not have an informed position about the program yet.

“I’ve had some calls from faculty who are concerned,” Arntson said. “The funny thing is, the people who’ve called me or e-mailed me are wanting to remain anonymous.”NU Human Resources declined to comment.

Mario Nagera, who has worked for several companies under contract with NU, said he was fired in January after an issue with the program.

“There’s a problem with E-Verify,” Nagera said. “They fire a lot of people. It’s not just here. It’s around the United States.”

The company that fired Nagera is Lbr Consolidated Building Services Inc, a janitorial service that serves NU.

“In September they fired around 60 people or maybe more,” he said. “This company fires. They’re fierce.”

Nagera said he was later fired because of worker eligibility issues reported by E-Verify. He said he didn’t bother to correct the situation because he knew other workers who had problems with the system as well.

A few days ago Nagera said he was hired by Crepe Bistro, a company which doesn’t require E-Verify.

“I don’t see anybody here,” he said. “Maybe one day my friends (will) come back.”There’s a history of dissent with E-Verify in Illinois.

The state responded to E-Verify with a law in Section 12(a) of the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act that prohibited employers from enrolling in the program. Since its onset the system has faced technical glitches and problems with accuracy. In December an evaluation of E-Verify reported a 54-percent inaccuracy rate with finding illegal workers.

However DHS sued Illinois, and the law was overturned. Employers in the state are now required to comply with federal law.

Arntson said the NU community is still trying to understand the program and peoples’s concerns.

“I have brought it to the attention of other people,” he said. “Right now we’re just doing some research, and that’s pretty much where we’re at.”[email protected]