[JumpCrisscross]

> you are required to accept documents the demonstrate employment eligibility at face value, even if they are likely to be fraudulent

Genuine question: source?

> mandatory ids to citizens that could be used to reliably determine employment eligibility

Yes, state-issued IDs, the infallible line keeping underage drinkers out of bars.

[cj]

> Genuine question: source?

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-9...

I'm an employer, and this is the form that needs to be filled out when we hire someone.

Notice the 2nd page of eligible documentation. A "School ID" and "birth certificate" are adequate documentation for employment. Both can be easily forged and difficult to verify.

Also notice the bottom of the 2nd page: it allows (for a temporary period) a "receipt" of the document to be considered acceptable if it is "stolen" - meaning you don't even need to have the physical document at all.

And here's the kicker: This form does not need to be submitted to any government agency. (You literally just fill it out and put it in a filing cabinet)

[JumpCrisscross]

> A "School ID" and "birth certificate" are adequate documentation for employment

No, they're not. They're adequate to establish identity. (List B).

> form does not need to be submitted to any government agency. (You literally just fill it out and put it in a filing cabinet)

Correct. We're on the same page in respect of employers having no real requirement to verify work authorisation. This appears part of the policy choice that lets certain politicians rail against illegal immigration without threatening the economics they support.

[erikerikson]

Turning away potentially underage drinkers is encouraged (and not doing so badly punished) but denying someone legal allowable employment is subject to litigation.

"ANTI-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE: All employees can choose which acceptable documentation to present for Form I-9. Employers cannot ask employees for documentation to verify information in Section 1, or specify which acceptable documentation employees must present for Section 2 or Supplement B, Reverification and Rehire. Treating employees differently based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin may be illegal."[0]

[0] https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-9...

[jandrewrogers]

It is against Federal law to reject any reasonable documentation that satisfies the I-9 requirements. Historically, you can bootstrap your way to meeting those requirements with not much more than affidavits and basic forgery.

There are many people who are US citizens that due to history or circumstances have no reliable documentation of such with which to bootstrap an ID -- I have people with no foundational documents in my own family. The system is designed to enable these people to bootstrap their paperwork without a reliable root document, which is of course exploitable by people that are in the US illegally.

State-issued IDs do not contain sufficient information to ensure eligibility for employment under Federal law.