Court delays illegal worker plan.

SAN FRANCISCO, A U.S. federal judge said employers would face an enormous burden under a Bush administration plan to clamp down on the hiring of illegal immigrants.

Judge Charles R. Breyer, of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Monday extended a temporary ban on the Bush plan and indicted he was leaning against the government's case, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

"It is clear to me at this point there would be irreparable harm to the plaintiffs," Breyer said, noting he would issue a final ruling within 10 days.

The Bush plan establishes steps an employer must follow after getting a "no-match" letter from the Social Security Administration reporting an worker's identity information doesn't match federal records. If the worker couldn't clarify the mismatch within 90 days, the employers would be required to fire the worker or risk prosecution for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, who often give false information when seeking jobs.
Business and groups, who brought the lawsuit, said the plan would cause "substantial, immediate and irreparable" harm.