Oh boy. This looks like a good one. Stewart Baker, Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security really threw down the gauntlet regarding SHRM’s (Society for Human Resources Management) opposition to E-Verify when he made this statement:

SHRM lobbies for the HR execs who do corporate hiring. It also opposes E-Verify. I suppose corporate hiring is easier if you can hire illegal workers, so perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that SHRM wants to kill a program that makes it harder to hire illegal workers.

SHRM responded by publicly rebuking Mr. Baker for his comment. Specifically, “We find DHS’s false characterization to be uninformed and insulting to the human resource profession.” SHRM Acting President and CEO China Gorman also took action by informing Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, that his department had not responded to several requests by SHRM to discuss alternative solutions to employment verification, particularly SHRM’s own proposal.

In my opinion, Mr. Baker was way out of line in making the above comment. It’s one thing to disagree with a professional organization for it’s governmental opinions, it’s another thing to accuse an entire profession of violating federal law. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in anything else Mr. Baker has to say. His opinion lost all validity to me when he stooped so low as to insult those of us in HR.

Thanks SHRM for sticking up for us. This is why I remain an active member from year to year.