Elected officials state their stance on undocumented workers in Indiana

ABC57 continues to look into an issue that has major concerns for the Latino community in Elkhart County.
 
On Thursday Candida Rosete shared her story. She is undocumented and was arrested for working under a fraudulent social security number.

Today ABC57 looks into the employers who do the hiring and ask if they are responsible for checking if government-issued numbers and documents are legitimate. 
 
“It’s hard to know when is an employer is culpable of retaining someone that could be illegal,” says Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers. 
 
ABC57 asked Sheriff Rogers if businesses were being held accountable and if tips were being solicited on employers who are hiring undocumented workers.  
 
“That’s something that we are looking into but it’s not like…we realize this is going on probably out there somewhere, but again do the employers know it I don’t know,” says Sheriff Rogers. 
 
Businesses are required to submit federal I-9 forms for every employee to verify the workers info matches with what’s in government databases.
 
“If they use e-verify that gets them off the hook in large part even if [they] have suspicions,” says Sheriff Rogers. 

E-verify is an internet-based system that allows employers to quickly establish eligibility.

Our reporting partners at the Elkhart Truth talked a representative with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who says by law employers can only request info that’s on the I-9 form and so double checking with a green card isn’t an option.

That spokeswoman also said that employers have a “good faith” defense on their side if it’s proven they’ve employed an undocumented worker.