However. the easy availability of counterfeit documents and fake identification has made this a mockery of law. It is not working. In 1996. Congress authorized a basic pilot program to help employers verify the eligibility of their workers. Participants would verify a new hires employment authorization through the Social Security Administration and. if necessary. through the Department of Homeland Security databases. The basic pilot of Everify was authorized in five States until an expansion of the program was agreed to by Congress in 2003. Now all States and all employers can take advantage of this voluntary and free program. Let me give some facts on the statistics.