E-Verify -- Immigration Enforcement Comes to Federal Contracting
Client Alert | 1 min read | 11.14.08
On November 14, 2008, the FAR Council issued a new rule and contract clause, effective January 15, 2009, requiring most federal contractors and subcontractors to use the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires in the United States and all employees working in the United States on federal contracts and subcontracts. The contract clause will apply to all new federal contracts for more than $100,000 (except for very limited contracts for commercially available off-the-shelf items sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace) and subcontracts for services or construction in excess of $3000 and includes a specific provision requiring referral for potential suspension or debarment for failure to comply with the rules governing the E-Verify program.
Contacts
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
