[jsprogrammer]

Local PD can't just check someone's papers in the US. The law is such that it is illegal to employ someone "not eligible to work", so it is really up to the employer to enforce the law. Government would only become involved to prosecute the employer for breaking the law once it was known (and only if there are resources to merit enforcement) that illegal behavior occurred.

[dragonwriter]

> The law is such that it is illegal to employ someone "not eligible to work", so it is really up to the employer to enforce the law.

Actually, it is illegal to employ someone without the employee and employer both completing the relevant portions of the I-9 form, which requires the employee to present to the employer certain documentation of eligibility to work.

In addition to investigations and enforcement actions stemming from information raising suspicion of a violation, the government can conduct audits (administrative inspection) of I-9 compliance, which need not be based on any suspicion.

[jsprogrammer]

According to the I-9 form, submission of required information is voluntary, though an employer may be later be applied penalties if they are unable to prove that they determined eligibility.

[mc32]

True. Police don't typically get involved in immigration status in the US as they do in China or Japan [or other places, which I may not be familiar with] I was made aware the police would raid places which had foreign workers on a periodic basis --so even if you had a proper visa, if the employer was over their visa quota you could get kicked out --the employer would have to fire you to come under compliance and you'd lose your visa sponsorship and have to leave. It was fun having to wait out police immigration raids, sometimes looking for kickback to not look too hard for the foreigners.