Washington, D.C. - Federal authorities are expected to announce rules this week that could require employers to fire workers who use false Social Security numbers.
After first proposing the rules last year, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials said they held off implementing them to await the outcome of the debate in Congress over a now-dead immigration overhaul.
"We are tough and we are going to be even tougher," said Russ Knocke, the spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, according to a New York Times report Tuesday.
"There are not going to be any more excuses for employers, and there will be serious consequences for those that choose to blatantly disregard the law," he added.
Agriculture employers, however, are worried that the regulation could force them to lay off scores of immigrant workers, The Times reported.
"Across the employer community, people are scared, confused, holding their breath," said Craig Reggelbrugge, co-chairman of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, a trade organization.
"Given what we know about the demographics of our labor force, since we are approaching peak season, people are particularly on edge," he said.
The expected regulations would give employers a fixed period, up to 90 days, to resolve discrepancies between a worker's identity information provided by their workers and the records of the Social Security Administration.
If a worker's documents cannot be verified, employers would be required to fire them or risk up to $10,000 in fines for knowingly hiring an undocumented immigrant.
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