Gov DQ10

Jimson:

Is the current employment verification system imposed by government a reasonable strategy to control illegal employment? Why or why not?

The current employment verification system is a reasonable strategy that has room for improvement. Its technology allows the government track employment verification statuses for all industries decreasing the risk of companies knowingly hiring undocumented workers. The DHS has stated the E-Verify system works as it has been able to verify the employment of 96% of its participants (Steiner & Steiner, 2012).

Did Swift & Company act wrongfully? Why or why not? Did the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) act properly, given the law that ICE has been charged by Congress to enforce? Why or why not?

Swift& Company did not act wrongfully but were also not truly honest about the immigration status of their employees. They may have had a weak hiring system where potential employees were not vetted for citizenship. However, they did comply with the commands of ICE in their mission to discover undocumented workers. Regardless if Swift & Company had prior knowledge of the illegal workers, ICE was only enacting their duties of and was right when they said they were not responsible for the organization hiring illegal workers.

What specific strategies would you recommend, if any, that Swift employ to attempt to change immigration and employment laws so they are more favorable to its business? Explain why.

Swift should lobby to their local government about labor laws surrounding illegal workers. Although some of them were illegal, Swift did a good job of treating them as of they were not illegal by providing the basic needs. They should present a strategy that will allow them to maintain their work force if they meet the requirements of the employee and company relationship. They should present evidence that the workers are not a burden but an assets to the countries workforce as they stood to lose $30 million from losing employees (Steiner & Steiner, 2012).

References Steiner, J., & Steiner, G. (2012). Business, Government, and Society: A Managerial Perspective. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions.

Ashley:

Discussion 10

The systems currently imposed by the government to control illegal employment are not perfect. For instance, in using e-verify if the employee submits a real social security number and matching name, they will be classified to be able to work. This can open the door to identity theft, a matching name and social will grant the potential employee the right to work. Employers are not responsible for checking the validity of the documents they are given. If this employee is able to produce the required documents, they can work as the employer followed the law. Employers cannot “discriminate against job applicants or employees based on national origin, race, ethnicity, citizenship, or immigration status” (Setiner, 2012). The employer cannot decide to hire those employees who do not sound “foreign” nor can they ask a potential employer to complete the form and disclose their status.

Swift & Company did not act wrongly, in fact, “Swift has played by the rules and relied in good faith on a program explicitly held out by the President of the United States as an effective tool to help employers comply with applicable immigration law” (Steiner, 2012). Swift & Company used the tools given to them by the government, they complied with the law. They were not harboring illegal workers and exploit them, they even paid more than the federal minimum wage. If the system has flaws, Swift & Company cannot be held responsible if they are complying and following the programs set forth. ICE, while it is their job find the employers with “egregious violations”, Swift was not this company.

A strategy for Swift I have is to work with the government on hiring illegal immigrants to give them a chance to obtain a visa and later on citizenship. Immigrants come here for a better life for themselves and their families, like many in this raid they are working to support their family. I understand laws must be followed, but at the same time a large company like this can look for ways to work with the government to give people a chance to work legally. 

Steiner, J. F., & Steiner, G. A. (2012). Business, government, and society: A managerial perspective: Text and cases. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.