Legislative employee found to be illegal
by Paul Davenport
Associated Press

PHOENIX – One day after the Arizona House approved a bill targeting employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, the legislative chamber announced March 16 that it had fired an employee after it was determined he was an illegal immigrant.

A part‑time housekeeper was fired last week after he told a supervisor that he was an illegal immigrant, the House said in a statement released late Friday.

The employee had been asked to provide documentation when a verification check found that his name did not match Social Security records.

The fired employee was identified by House spokesman Barrett Marson as Gilberto Melendez, 17, of Phoenix.

Marson said he did not have contact information for Melendez. The man was hired in December and Marson said House officials had no explanation why the mismatch of Social Security information was not detected earlier.

He said the checks are to be conducted monthly by the Department of Administration and that the department reported the mismatch to the House on March 8.

March 15, the House approved, 46‑13, a bill that would prohibit employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and require businesses to sign affidavits saying they aren’t breaking such a rule.