E-Verify grows in popularity

It's been a long and bumpy road, but maybe--just maybe--the government's computerized database for employer' to verify an applicant's authorization to work is gaining traction.

The E-Verify program, designed to block the hiring of illegal immigrants, has been signing up 1,000 new businesses each week. So far, more than 124,000 businesses nationwide, including nearly 10,000 in California, are signed up. Still, this is a fairly small number of establishments, and questions remain about the reliability of information in the database.

Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress said E-Verify is not "ready for prime time." But the Obama administration is pushing ahead with the program, asking for $112 million in the next fiscal year's budget.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last week said that "E-Verify is an essential tool for employers to maintain a legal workforce."

For more on E-Verify:
- see this latimes.com article