I-9 business audits are up across the metro as the government cracks down on unauthorized workers

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Cracking down on unauthorized workers; many local businesses might soon be double checking employee paperwork.

Every worker is required by law to fill out I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms when they start a new job.

Immigration Attorney Gail Goeke specializes in the forms and she said across the nation and here in the Metro I-9 business audits are on the rise.

"One enforcement strategy is to review the I-9 documentation, which employers have been completing for more than 20 years to see that they are following the I-9 rules."

The forms that verify United States Citizenship were first introduced around 1986 but in recent times the government has been targeting what Goeke calls high incidence industries.

“They do get more scrutiny, and so that would be meat packing plants, landscaping companies and the restaurant businesses.”

Owner of landscaping company Rosehill Gardens, Curtis Stroud said he takes extra precautions to make sure his landscapers have the documents they need.

In addition to the I-9’s he pays for E-Verify software that double checks his workers legal status.

“The government verifies that their social security number is in fact a good social security number and they are legal to work in the United States” said Stroud.

The software is expensive, Stroud said it runs him roughly a thousand dollars per year but it’s worth it.

“If they find one I-9 that hasn't been sent in three days, or if they find your documents are not completely in order, than they can fine you for that.”

With immigration issues so closely followed, Goeke said businesses should be double checking their work.

The law allows businesses to make corrections if they have made a mistake regarding a workers legal status.

Goeke said it’s better for the employer to identify the problem before the government comes calling.