California requires thousands of health workers to enroll in E‑Verify+ as unions raise privacy alarm
About 4,000 California Department of Public Health employees are being asked to enroll in E‑Verify+, a federal work‑eligibility check, to preserve federal contracts and funding — a step that has sparked union outcry over privacy, biometrics and DHS links.
- CDPH directed roughly 4,000 staff to enroll in E‑Verify+ to maintain federal contracts and funding; compliance deadlines run through April 10, 2026. LAist
- Failure to comply could threaten a CDC national death index contract, which collects death‑certificate data across the U.S. LAist
- Unions warn the policy raises privacy, biometric and data‑sharing concerns and could harm recruitment and retention at a strained agency. LAist
Main report
Dateline
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has instructed approximately 4,000 of its employees to enroll in E‑Verify+, the federal system that verifies employment eligibility against government databases. The department said the requirement is necessary to retain federal funding and contracts; the announcement has drawn forceful objections from state employee unions and many workers who cite privacy and security concerns. LAist
Why CDPH says it is required
CDPH told staff that proving employment eligibility through E‑Verify+ is required to maintain certain federal grants and contracts and to avoid penalties or disqualification from future funding. The agency warned that noncompliance could jeopardize a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the national death index, a critical repository of death certificate information from around the country. LAist
What E‑Verify+ does
E‑Verify+ is administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration. It cross‑checks information from the federal I‑9 form against federal databases, including Social Security records and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) systems. The “plus” variant couples the I‑9 process with additional verification that can include biometric comparisons of ID photos, according to CDPH documents. LAist
Background: what employees already do
All new CDPH hires already complete the federal I‑9 form as part of standard onboarding. The new directive adds a step for many current employees: enrollment in E‑Verify+. CDPH’s memo notes that employees hired before last November may opt out of the “plus” version, while those hired since November must participate — a distinction that has increased anxiety among long‑tenured staff who say they already completed employment checks. LAist
Union and employee opposition
Labor leaders and rank‑and‑file employees have pushed back forcefully. SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls called the move an “unnecessary re‑verification of workers who are already legally employed,” citing data security worries and the potential reuse of worker information. Jacqueline Tkac, president of the California Association of Professional Scientists (UAW Local 1115), said workers fear E‑Verify+ is “deeply integrated with DHS databases, including systems used by ICE, and relies on biometrics and cross‑agency data sharing.”
Anica Walls: “Unnecessary re‑verification of workers who are already legally employed.”
Unions say the directive has created fear and uncertainty that could harm recruitment and retention, at a time when public health staffing is already strained. An anonymous CDPH employee told reporters they were alarmed that employee photos might be shared with DHS and that opt‑out options were not clearly explained. LAist
Broader context: E‑Verify’s rise and critics’ concerns
E‑Verify began as a largely voluntary program in the 1990s but has increasingly become a requirement tied to federal contracts and state rules. Since 2009 the federal government has required E‑Verify for certain contractors, and more than 20 states now use E‑Verify in some form for contracts or licensing. Critics warn the system can produce erroneous matches; analyses suggest that a universal mandate today could wrongly flag a substantial number of people as ineligible because of data and matching errors. LAist
Lawmakers including Rep. Jamie Raskin have warned that error rates could leave tens of thousands wrongly labeled about work eligibility, a claim unions cite as central to their opposition to re‑verifying already hired workers. LAist
Timing and enforcement concerns
The order arrives amid intensified federal immigration enforcement, including increased workplace audits and I‑9 investigations. Unions and employees say the timing is especially alarming for immigrant staff, given reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at workplaces; that backdrop amplifies fears E‑Verify+ data could be used beyond hiring checks and potentially facilitate enforcement actions. LAist
What CDPH and state officials have said
CDPH did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the order, its data‑handling practices, or whether it would share employee information with federal enforcement agencies. State officials have noted that E‑Verify decisions are made at the department level rather than set uniformly across state agencies. The lack of publicly available details about data storage, access, retention and photo handling has fueled calls for clearer safeguards. LAist
Data privacy and security questions
Union leaders and advocacy groups want explicit answers on employee privacy protections: will biometric photos be stored? Who will have access? How long will records be retained? Could the data be used for immigration enforcement or audits? Without clear responses, workers say the policy creates unnecessary personal privacy risk. Experts also caution that any system tied to federal databases carries a risk of data errors and false matches. LAist
Legal and policy avenues under discussion
Unions plan to press for changes through collective bargaining and legal review. Labor contracts and state law set boundaries on what agencies can mandate for represented employees, and unions may challenge the policy if it is implemented in ways that violate privacy or contractual protections. Departments counter that complying with federal requirements is necessary to retain key funding and contracts that support public health programs. LAist
Implications for Los Angeles
Economic: Los Angeles depends on state public health capacity for disease surveillance, death‑certificate processing and regional programs. If E‑Verify+ drives employees away or deters applicants, local services could face gaps — and losing a CDC national death index contract could affect data used by county and city planners. LAist
Political: The directive places local leaders between protecting immigrant communities and ensuring state agencies meet federal funding conditions. The debate could become a flashpoint over state vs. federal control of workforce checks and the role of immigration enforcement in public workplaces. LAist
Social and cultural: Los Angeles’ large immigrant workforce and communities with family ties to immigrants may view perceived links between E‑Verify+ and DHS systems as chilling trust in government — a factor that could hinder public‑health outreach and services. The controversy intersects with local values around immigrant inclusion and sanctuary policies. LAist
Practical applications for residents and staff
For CDPH employees in Los Angeles and statewide, the mandate requires a timely decision on E‑Verify+ enrollment. Staff should consult unions and department HR about opt‑out rights, data retention, and photo handling. Community members may see changes in how public‑health programs are staffed and delivered if the mandate affects hiring and retention. LAist
Reporting note
This article is based on CDPH documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee and reporting by LAist. CDPH did not respond to requests for comment.
