We check the employment documents of all new Team Members when they are first hired. The newly-hired Team Member is required to fill out a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification Form and is required to present documents that prove identity and employment eligibility. The Form I-9 includes a list of acceptable documents.

According to DHS, “Employers CANNOT specify which document(s) they will accept from an employee.” The employer “must examine the document(s) and, if they reasonably appear on their face to be genuine and related to the person presenting them, you must accept them. To do otherwise would be an unfair immigration-related employment practice.”

Since 1998, Tyson has voluntarily participated in the U.S. government’s Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program, which is now known as E-Verify. It is an internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration. The program allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. According to DHS, “E-Verify is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security Numbers.”

Tyson has also voluntarily chosen to use the Social Security Number Verification System (SSNVS). It is an on-line service offered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), which allows registered users (employers and certain third-party submitters) to verify the names and Social Security numbers of employees against SSA records.

In addition to government-provided tools, we train all of our hiring managers on employment documentation procedures and work to increase their awareness of identification fraud. We regularly audit our Form I-9s, as well as our hiring process. This includes work authorization documents. Additionally we use an independent, outside company, which conducts its own audit of our hiring practices.

If we learn one of our workers may not have proper authorization to work in this country, we take immediate measures. If they are unable to correct any discrepancies in their documentation, then they are released from employment.

In January 2011, Tyson Foods became the first major food company to become a full member of the IMAGE program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

IMAGE is short for ‘ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers.’ The program enables businesses, if they meet rigorous standards, to voluntarily partner with the federal government to ensure they are employing people who are legally authorized to work in the United States.