"We've been told (the database) is only 80 percent correct," Gould said.
If (for example) law-abiding citizens were being denied CCW permits because of errors in the background check database, and the government tried to shurg and say "well, it's only 80% accurate and you just have to deal with it), there would be a dozen 1000+-post flame threads on this forum.
Although Gould said his company checks people's documents as a condition of employment to make sure they are legal immigrants, it's a matter of simple math to realize that many of them are probably living in this country illegally.
This "simple math" argument is equivalent to declaring (for example) that because such-and-such a percentage of the male population commit rape, a large male gathering such as a Promise Keepers rally probably contains X number of rapists.
where he talks about checking documents, he isn't exaggerating. to complete the I-9 required for a legal hire you are required to accept a driver's license and a SS card. To not accept those, you are subject to a civil rights complaint for discrimination. And actually, the SS Admin says that the largest number of complaints filed are for just that, failing to accept documentation.
Additionally, the issues of forged or fraudulant documents aside, many illegals show up with one or both that are actually valid, but improperly issued.
So, if you submit someone to these verification services that ICE of the SSA are running, you can't fire them if they come back not listed. You may only make demands for further documents....and then you are on the bubble.
I think you analogy is a bit off. If a contractor is making good faith efforts to comply with a verification system that is only 80% accurate (according to him, anyway), he's not going to be prosecuted or denied a license. The upside to the program is that this contractor is having a harder time finding illegal employees, even assuming the 80% accuracy claim is true.