Barriers in Immigrant Laborers' Access to Workplace Rights

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Although immigrant workers in theory have the same employment rights as other workers, immigrants face barriers in enforcing their rights in the workplace. Three of these barriers are "no-match" letters from the Social Security Administration to employers, employment verification systems that are established under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and that give employers access to government databases in order to verify work authorization, and worksite raids by immigration and other authorities. Low-wage immigrant workers are especially vulnerable, but well-informed advocates can help them enforce employment rights.

By Anita Sinha From September - October 2004