Sunday, September 17, 2006 San Francisco Chronicle

“Undocumented government workers”

By Debra J. Saunders

   WORKING from his Woodland Hills home office, gadfly Carl Olson is on a

mission that should not be as impossible as it seems: He wants local and

state governments to follow the law.

   Olson, of the watchdog group State Department Watch, has been showing up

at board meetings for government entities -- the Ventura County Board of

Education, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Los Angeles Community

College District -- and asking board members what they are doing to

prevent hiring illegal immigrants. Specifically, he wants to know if they

use the free federal Basic Pilot program, which private employers can use

to see if job applicants are authorized to work in the United States.

   So far, Olson has come up empty. When I called these groups, I got nada,

too.

   Still, Olson believes California voters are plenty angry about illegal

immigration, so it is only a matter of time before local politicians "feel

the heat or see the light."

   And: "Elected officials are supposed to be the first bulwark in defense of

our rights and liberties here. If they aren't going to defend us, who is?"

   Don't look to Sacramento for relief. State Department Watch co-sponsored

legislation with state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, which would have

required California to use Basic Pilot when hiring state employees. The

bill also required private employers to use Basic Pilot. It received one

measly vote in committee.

   "The U.S. government doesn't even use its own system on itself," Olson

noted. That's about to change. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

spokesman Chris Bentley told me his agency is "making that connection

right now." That is, the agency is gearing up to use Basic Pilot.

   What about other federal agencies? "A handful of government agencies are

using Basic Pilot right now," Bentley responded, adding that a new $100

million appropriation will be used to boost private and federal

participation. (I should add, law-enforcement agencies generally conduct

in-depth security checks.)

   And: "We encourage employers across the United States to take advantage of

this opportunity," which takes "the guesswork out of employment

verification."

   U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun to check the status of

people who work at critical infrastructure worksites, to prevent terrorist

attacks. In May, ICE agents arrested eight Los Angeles Department of Water

and Power workers because they were illegal. Their jobs ranged from blue

collar to management. One arrested worker made more than $100,000 a year,

according to the Associated Press.

   The eight workers were from Ethiopia, Nigeria, El Salvador, Mexico and the

Philippines. All but one had entered the United States legally, but

overstayed their visas or did not have green cards. Three workers had

green cards or were legal residents, ICE explained in a press release, but

they had "criminal convictions that render them deportable."

   The raid got Olson's attention. "I was totally floored," he told me, but

his "suspicions were confirmed." So he began his quest to find government

agencies that want to comply with immigration law. He calls it the

Diogenes Honesty Search -- as he is looking for government agencies that

show an honest commitment to comply with immigration law.

   He wants readers to know they too can ask local officials if they are

using the free Basic Pilot program. Personally, I can think of no reason

for local governments not to use Basic Pilot -- unless they want to break

the law. If those elected or appointed to administer laws do not

themselves respect the law, why should voters respect them?

   E-mail: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.      Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle