Yakima City Council approves use of E-Verify
Amid a new round of politically charged rhetoric about illegal immigration, a divided Yakima City Council narrowly reversed itself Tuesday and approved the use of E-Verify over the objection of Hispanic community leaders.
The council voted 4-3 to require that contractors who do business with the city must verify the legal status of their employees by using the controversial federal employment-screening database.
A year ago the council rejected E-Verify by the same margin amid sometimes heated testimony that vilified the online program as prone to mistakes and warned its use would alienate Yakima's rapidly growing Hispanic population. A study by an outside research firm found the program is not foolproof. http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/06/7/yakima-city-council-approves-use-of-e-verify/print
BY CHRIS BRISTOL -- YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC