Companies fail to comply with E-Verify

PELHAM, Ala. (AP) - Tens of thousands of Alabama businesses have missed a deadline set by the state's strict immigration law to register with a federal database that lets employers verify the citizenship status of would-be workers.

The federal government says 18,137 Alabama companies had enrolled in the E-Verify system by Monday, the day after the deadline.

But state figures show there are at least 85,000 companies with employees in the state, and some 368,000 businesses filed state tax returns last year. That means thousands of the state's employers missed complying with the law by the deadline.

The immigration crackdown requires every business entity or employer in the state to register with E-Verify. There aren't any penalties for failing to register, and the state is encouraging employers to comply.