Order Signed Targeting Illegal Immigrant Hires

President Clinton signed an executive order Tuesday to prohibit companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants from receiving federal contracts.

The executive order, part of a “comprehensive strategy” to combat illegal immigration, is aimed at reducing “the job magnet that draws illegal immigrants to this country,” Clinton said.

The order was first announced in his State of the Union address.

Clinton insisted that the order would not burden employers with “needless paperwork” or result in employment discrimination. And it would not apply to businesses that violate only “minor technical provisions” or hire ineligible employees in good faith based on documents that appear to be genuine, the White House said.

Under a 1986 law, it is already illegal for companies, including government contractors, to hire ineligible workers, and they can lose existing federal contracts for serious offenses. Now, such companies would also be barred for a year from competing for new federal contracts.