ICE targets employers
The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country this week as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms, employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker, the agency told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday.
Immigration officers served ?Notices of Inspection? to 652 businesses, the Homeland Security Department said. By comparison, 503 such notices were issued to businesses last year, the agency said.
Comment from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Reno was not immediately available.
Putting more pressure on business owners frequently has been talked about in previous administrations but was never backed by action, said Jesse Gutierrez, executive director of Nevada Hispanic Services.
?There?s always been talk about cracking down on employers but they just let it slide because some people were taking advantage of these workers and using them for their bottom line,? Gutierrez said. ?(With this latest move) I think they?re trying to start the process towards a better immigration reform bill, which desperately needs to be done. I just hope that something gets done and we?re not just seeing a lot of political talk again.?
Businesses were chosen for inspections based on leads and other investigative work, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Employers are required to keep the I-9 forms and must check the authenticity of documents provided by the employee. The Homeland Security Department said it would not release information about targeted businesses because of the ongoing investigations.
?ICE is committed to establishing a meaningful I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law,? John Morton, Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, said in a statement. ?This nationwide effort is a first step in ICE?s longterm strategy to address and deter illegal employment.?
The I-9 audits are certain to cause concern among employers who have complained that identifying illegal workers is fraught with problems, from recognizing fake identity documents to risking violating anti-discrimination laws.
Protocols for the inspections should be fair and responsibility should be ascribed equally between workers and employers, Gutierrez said. It?s also important to consider the contributions of workers who have been productive members of society and not lump everyone in the same category, Gutierrez added.
?The criminals, they can go back home and get deported ? that?s no problem,? Gutierrez said. ?But there are also a lot of good people making positive contributions to the community, so adjustments need to be made to help them.?
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said investigations will focus on businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants who cannot legally work in the U.S.
The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country this week as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms, employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker, the agency told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday.
Immigration officers served ?Notices of Inspection? to 652 businesses, the Homeland Security Department said. By comparison, 503 such notices were issued to businesses last year, the agency said.
Comment from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Reno was not immediately available.
Putting more pressure on business owners frequently has been talked about in previous administrations but was never backed by action, said Jesse Gutierrez, executive director of Nevada Hispanic Services.
?There?s always been talk about cracking down on employers but they just let it slide because some people were taking advantage of these workers and using them for their bottom line,? Gutierrez said. ?(With this latest move) I think they?re trying to start the process towards a better immigration reform bill, which desperately needs to be done. I just hope that something gets done and we?re not just seeing a lot of political talk again.?
Businesses were chosen for inspections based on leads and other investigative work, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Employers are required to keep the I-9 forms and must check the authenticity of documents provided by the employee. The Homeland Security Department said it would not release information about targeted businesses because of the ongoing investigations.
?ICE is committed to establishing a meaningful I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law,? John Morton, Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, said in a statement. ?This nationwide effort is a first step in ICE?s longterm strategy to address and deter illegal employment.?
The I-9 audits are certain to cause concern among employers who have complained that identifying illegal workers is fraught with problems, from recognizing fake identity documents to risking violating anti-discrimination laws.
Protocols for the inspections should be fair and responsibility should be ascribed equally between workers and employers, Gutierrez said. It?s also important to consider the contributions of workers who have been productive members of society and not lump everyone in the same category, Gutierrez added.
?The criminals, they can go back home and get deported ? that?s no problem,? Gutierrez said. ?But there are also a lot of good people making positive contributions to the community, so adjustments need to be made to help them.?
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said investigations will focus on businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants who cannot legally work in the U.S.
