College of Lake County fires worker believed to be illegal immigrant

College of Lake County board members voted this week to fire an employee who was suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

Board Chairman Richard Anderson said officials discussed the woman in a closed-door session for more than two hours before taking a public vote to terminate her as a children’s learning center worker at CLC.

“Actually, it’s a shame,” Anderson said. “A good employee who was with us for a few years.”

Most likely, Anderson said, the woman used a fake Social Security number as part of the process of gaining her job at Grayslake-based CLC. He said the school became aware a couple of months ago she may be in the United States illegally, then found she didn’t check out as a U.S. citizen after CLC officials used E-Verify.

E-Verify is a voluntary and free federal program for employers that checks whether workers are illegal immigrants. The CLC employee’s name and country of origin were not immediately available.

Anderson said it was unclear if the woman overstayed a work visa or entered the United States illegally. Anderson, elected to CLC’s board while a student in 1974, said he believes Tuesday’s meeting was the first time he participated in a vote to terminate a worker for being a suspected illegal immigrant.

CLC has children’s learning centers at its Grayslake and Waukegan campuses, providing services for limited times based on parents’ class, work and study schedules. All-year services are provided for children ages 2 to 6, with school-age care for those up to 12 years old during the summer.