I know far less about the INS, but this I do know: how twitchy the INS in your area is about I-9s depends entirely on how bad the local illegal immigrant problem is. Here in MA, the I-9 is like no big deal (though no employer I've had failed to present it). In CA, it was rather different; back when I was out there, the INS was doing spot-checks on employers to find illegal immigrants, and to pressure employers to turn away illegal immigrants. Employers were pretty damn paranoid about it, and were taking no risks.
In such an environment -- in which day labor is precisely the most common form of work sought by illegal immigrants -- I'd be surprised if anyone who cares about not getting in Big Trouble wouldn't at a minimum check IDs even for day laborers.
Re: Getting a Job (the I-9) [continued]
I know far less about the INS, but this I do know: how twitchy the INS in your area is about I-9s depends entirely on how bad the local illegal immigrant problem is. Here in MA, the I-9 is like no big deal (though no employer I've had failed to present it). In CA, it was rather different; back when I was out there, the INS was doing spot-checks on employers to find illegal immigrants, and to pressure employers to turn away illegal immigrants. Employers were pretty damn paranoid about it, and were taking no risks.
In such an environment -- in which day labor is precisely the most common form of work sought by illegal immigrants -- I'd be surprised if anyone who cares about not getting in Big Trouble wouldn't at a minimum check IDs even for day laborers.