USCIS and Mississippi Implement New E-Verify Tool to Combat Fraud

Improves Accuracy and Integrity of E-Verify by Validating Driver’s License Data

Released June 13, 2011

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today launched Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify (RIDE), a new feature which allows USCIS’s E-Verify program to validate the authenticity of Mississippi driver’s licenses used by employees as Form I-9 identity documents.

“RIDE reflects our commitment to continually improving E-Verify,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “This important enhancement strengthens E-Verify’s anti-fraud capabilities and will play a key role in helping employers in the U.S. maintain a legal workforce.”

More than 80 percent of employees present driver’s licenses to establish their identities when completing the Form I-9. By enabling E-Verify to compare driver’s license data against state records, RIDE will improve E-Verify’s accuracy and help combat document fraud when determining employees’ eligibility to work in the United States—while observing safeguards to protect employee’s personal data. RIDE helps combat document fraud by enabling E-Verify to confirm the authenticity of an additional identity document. For example, previously, if an employee presented a driver’s license to establish his or her identity and a social security card to establish his or her employment authorization, E-Verify would only have been able to confirm the validity of the social security card. RIDE enables E-Verify employers in Mississippi to confirm the validity of both documents.

The new E-Verify RIDE feature builds on existing technology and infrastructure that the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) and other state public safety departments use in conjunction with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Mississippi is the first state to partner with USCIS to implement RIDE.

Currently, 4,336 employers representing more than 9,000 worksites in Mississippi use E-Verify. Nationwide, more than 269,000 employers at over 900,000 worksites are enrolled in the
E-Verify program.

E-Verify is administered by USCIS in partnership with SSA. More information is available on the E-Verify website at www.dhs.gov/e-verify. E-Verify customer support is also available by calling toll free 888-464-4218.