WASHINGTON – The Bush administration plans to announce a broad initiative today to sharpen immigration enforcement, including measures to raise fines for employers who hire illegal workers; require federal contractors to use an employment verification system, enabled by states sharing drivers’ license photos and records; and add thousands of agents at the border with Mexico.
Other provisions will restrict the types of documents employees can use to prove their legal status and will speed up background checks for legal immigrants. Administration officials also intend to streamline an agriculture guest-worker program.
The provisions will boost fines for employers who hire illegally by 25 percent above current penalties.
The 25 measures – some new and some that expand on current policies – come in addition to the expected announcement of a plan to crack down on illegal immigrants by forcing employers to fire workers with discrepancies in their Social Security information.
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