DHS Symposium on Enforcement

On November 19, 2009, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was joined by ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton and USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas in announcing the new "I E-Verify" campaign to recognize the approximately 170,000 businesses nationwide that use E-Verify. This new campaign highlights the commitment of employers to work with DHS to ensure a legal workforce.

Secretary Napolitano stressed that employers should be rewarded for maintaining a legal workforce and that employers who work with illegal and cheaper labor should be held accountable. The Secretary promised a commitment to employers and noted that E-Verify and IMAGE will be the centerpiece in all efforts. She also pointed out the value of such approaches and invited all businesses to join up and "follow the law."

In addition to updating the public on the results of this summer’s 652 ICE Form I-9 audits, Worksite Unit Chief Brett Dreyer announced that 1000 Form I-9 Notices of Inspection (NOIs) were being served that day. The focus of these audits turned to businesses that work in areas of national security and critical infrastructure. Please review the July 2009 Alert, Is That ICE Knocking At Your Door?, which discusses what to do if your company receives an NOI; we expect these types of large sweeps to continue into 2010.

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