New regulations from the Department of Homeland Security are targeting the millions of illegal immigrant workers across the country using false Social Security numbers, as well as the employers who choose to hire them. The new rules include a stricter immigration enforcement system notifying employers that their workers' numbers do not match the Social Security Administration's records.

Under the proposed regulations, employers will be given a fixed period after notification to work out any information inconsistencies between a worker and the administration's records, after which the employer must fire the worker with unverifiable information or face up to $10,000 in fines. "We are tough, and we are going to be even tougher," said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke. "There are not going to be any more excuses for employers, and there will be serious consequences for those that choose to blatantly disregard the law."

This is particularly bad news for agricultural industries, where more than 70 percent of the workforce is made up of illegal immigrants. Many immigrant rights groups and labor unions argue that the regulations will only encourage discrimination against Hispanic laborers and will hurt the rights of workers in general.--Kevin Manahan