VA Agencies Do Little to Prevent Hiring Illegals

Most state agencies do little to monitor whether they are hiring illegal immigrants, a study by the legislature's watchdog agency concluded Monday.

Justin Brown, an analyst for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, told the panel's members Monday that only one state agency reported being informed of a potential violation during the past five years.

The Department of General Services was informed of a potential violation in the community college system,Brown said. He did not know what became of that, he added.

Brown said state agencies feel that enforcement of the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act is primarily a federal responsibility. That act, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, includes sanctions for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers.

Agencies think compliance in state contracting — for example, in construction work or state technology — is the responsibility of the contractor and that it would be too expensive for agencies to monitor compliance, Brown said.

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