The Dept. of Homeland Security says it may rescind its controversial “no match” regulation, which is aimed at cracking down on companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

In an Aug. 19 proposal in the Federal Register, DHS says it is seeking comments through Sept. 18 on its plan to revoke the rule, which the Bush administration issued in 2007. The regulation would have penalized employers who are notified that employee documentation does not match Social Security Administration records. DHS says it instead plans to focus its enforcement efforts through such programs as E-Verify.

The 2007 no-match rule never went into effect because of legal challenges from a coalition of unions and business groups.