04/09/08 Commissioners appeal; no-match letters

Canyon County commissioners are going to take another stab at suing four agri-businesses for hiring undocumented workers. The full US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rarely overturns decisions by one of its three-judge panels. The commissioners cite an anti-racketeering law when they contend that the taxpayers pay millions of dollars for illegal residents to have health, medical and legal benefits that are not provided by employers. The appeals court rejected that argument. The Idaho Statesmen reported that Canyon County spent over 61 thousand dollars in legal fees on this two and a half year old case through last September. Which brings us to the 'no match' letters. The Department of Homeland Security is sending letters to employers telling them there's some kind of discrepancy with an employee's Social Security number and the issue needs to be resolved. American Farm Bureau attorney Danielle Quist says there are penalties for not complying to the 'no match' letter. QUIST "The DHS letters and Social Security letters do place the producer on legal notice that there's a problem with an employee's documentation and that does have to be resolved in order for them to avoid liability." More to the no-match story, tomorrow. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott