In
addition, employers will face possible
criminal sanctions if they don't fire
employees unable to clear up problems
with their Social Security numbers.
The
Homeland Security Department will ask
states to voluntarily share their
driver's license photos and records with
the agency for use in an employment
verification system. The sharing is
meant to help employers detect
fraudulent licenses, according to the
summary, which was provided by a
congressional aide.
Some of
the initiatives are similar to proposals
contained in the recent immigration
measure that failed to pass in the
Senate, though they are not nearly as
sweeping.
The
legislation was opposed by many
conservatives who complained that people
don't trust their government to start
new immigration programs since existing
immigration laws are not enforced.
The
Senate bill would have allowed millions
of illegal immigrants to obtain legal
status and eventually apply for legal
residency. It also would have created a
guest worker program and stepped up
border security.
Some
lawmakers have kept up efforts to
tighten the border. Last month, the
Senate added $3 billion to a homeland
security bill and devoted the money to
U.S.-Mexico border security.
Chertoff alluded to the new enforcement
tactics in a speech this week in Boston,
calling it "tool sharpening."
"We
shouldn't have a patchwork of laws. We
should be doing a comprehensive federal
solution, but we haven't got that thing
done," Chertoff said. "What I can tell
you is we will certainly use every
enforcement tool that we have, and every
resource that we have available, to
tackle the problem."
