Cobb County to Volunteer for Federal Immigration Audit Program

Cobb County is about to become the first local government in Georgia to join a voluntary federal immigration program targeting employees who are in the country illegally.

Last year the state passed one of the strictest immigration laws in the country. Georgia businesses with 500 or more employees are now required to use the federal E-Verify system. But unauthorized workers have been known to slip through with fake identification and social security numbers.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s fairly new IMAGE program sets out to reduce those numbers by allowing federal agents to audit employee lists and verify citizenship.