Although E-Verify is generally viewed favorably by its users, critics have questioned the program’s accuracy while highlighting that it can effectively block legal individuals under certain circumstances. Enforcement is another concern when it comes to E-Verify, with some reports indicating that many states do not enforce the E-Verify laws that are already on their books, resulting in low enrollment when compared against the number of employers that should be using the system. And although the cost to participate in E-Verify is “free,” employers have shared that there are significant setup and maintenance costs associated with the program. In fact, in 2010, Bloomberg Government estimated that making E-Verify mandatory would cost employers $2.7 billion to comply. In response to these concerns, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to invest approximately $118M in the E-Verify program in the next fiscal year, concentrating on strengthening system architecture, improving system reliability and resiliency, and improving upon system speed and overall accuracy.
