August 26, 2009

ICE To Intensify Crackdown on Employers of Undocumented Workers

On Monday, August 17th, John Morton, the new chief of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, announced that ICE will increase the number of businesses it will audit.

Mr. Morton also announced the end of quotas placed on a controversial program designed to target immigrants with criminal histories or outstanding deportation orders. Beginning in 2003, ICE dispatched teams across the nation to arrest and deport such immigrants as part of the “fugitive operations” program. During the widely publicized sweeps, armed agents arrested tens of thousands of immigrants at their homes, provoking sharp criticism from immigrant rights groups. Annual arrest quotas were set at 1,000, according to internal memos cited by the Migration Policy Institute. However, Mr. Morton concluded that hard quotas “don't make sense.”

As a result of the Obama administration’s new strategy making employers the cornerstone of immigration policy, Mr. Morton announced, “[Y]ou are going to see audits regularly and on a larger scale.” Mr. Morton stated that 654 companies are currently being audited and that many more will soon be notified of impending audits. As part of the audits, immigration agents review the I-9 forms and other company records. Violators may face civil and criminal fines. Should ICE agents conclude that a business knowingly hired undocumented workers, a criminal investigation will be initiated follow. Mr. Morton said the government encourages businesses to use the electronic employment verification system, known as E-Verify, which remains voluntary in most states. GT expects enforcement to rapidly increase with employers being targeted more forcefully than the during the previous administration.