Burning Atlanta

Woo-Hoo. I've lost 30 pounds over the last 6 months but I promise I'll be making a donut run before long. Part of this story that I wasn't aware of was that the Basic Pilot Program's check was almost instant. I'd heard it wasn't perfect but is a major step in the right direction and beats the hell out of the non-verification program most are using. This should be mandatory across this nation and NOT tied into another amnesty.

Gimme a Dozen, Please

But in the meantime, the nation's largest doughnut chain has taken matters into its own hands, requiring all franchise owners to perform the background checks and moving to fire those they accuse of accepting fake IDs commonly used by illegal immigrants to find work.

In April, Dunkin' Donuts filed a lawsuit in federal court asking a judge to terminate the franchise agreement it has with two stores in Central Jersey, saying the owners knowingly accepted false documents, used false Social Security numbers and paid employees in cash.

The company has filed similar lawsuits seeking to sever ties with franchises in Boston, Atlanta and Florida, where it is has accused three franchises of hiring illegal immigrants.

The lawsuits come a year after Dunkin' Donuts became the most well-known corporation to enroll in Basic Pilot, a voluntary U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that allows employers to perform electronic document checks to verify that applicants are eligible to work.

Under the Basic Pilot program, employers type a job applicant's name, Social Security number and other information into a Web-based program and receive an almost instant response telling them whether the worker is eligible for work. If a discrepancy arises, the worker has two weeks to iron out the problem before the employer can fire him or her.

And the problem with this is?