| (AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today called on President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to audit every state and local government entity in Texas, after the agency-wide performance review Huffines ordered uncovered what appears to be decades of systemic failures in the agency’s employment eligibility verification practices and its compliance with federal Form I-9 requirements. Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) is used to identify and verify the identity and legal work authorization of every individual hired to work in the United States. While the full scope is still being determined, the problems may date back as far as 20 years and leave taxpayers facing approximately $5 million or more in federal civil penalties, based on a preliminary internal assessment, for the agency’s failure to properly complete, verify, and retain the required federal hiring records. Upon learning of these concerns, the agency engaged independent outside legal counsel to conduct a full investigation. The agency will not contest legitimate penalties. “My message to Texans never changed: audit government, expose corruption. It is your money,” Huffines said. “I said I could not wait to clean out the garage. This just scratches the surface of the waste and neglect my administration has found. “This is what decades of neglect and weak leadership from the mushy middle look like. Our officials were desperate to stay in power and desperate for the approval of elitists and lobbyists, so they never looked under the hood, and taxpayers are left holding the bag. If 90 days of auditing found this in one agency, Texans should ask what is sitting in all the others. We are the outsiders who found it, and sunlight is the best disinfectant. “This was not ignorance. The early findings suggest people inside government knew about these failures and hid them.” Huffines ordered a comprehensive performance review of all aspects of the agency when he took office in August. The independent review will assess existing processes, identify any compliance gaps, and recommend corrective actions as appropriate. Remediation is already underway as part of the Comptroller’s Taxpayer First Project. “I invite President Trump and ICE to review the employment eligibility of every government employee in Texas,” Huffines said. “The state of Texas needs to pay its fines for violating federal I-9 requirements, just like every business has to. And every government entity out of compliance should be audited and pay up too.” | 
