Crackdown on employers of illegal workers
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has notified more than
1,000 companies -- large and small and in all 50 states -- that
their hiring records will be inspected to determine if illegal
immigrants are on their payrolls.
ICE has audited 2,338 companies since the start of this fiscal
year in October, an uptick from the previous fiscal year. ICE does
not reveal why individual companies are audited or identify the
companies, but the agency sent out audit notices this week.
ICE said the companies in this round of audits "operate in areas
defined as critical infrastructure and key resources." Employers
can face both criminal and civil penalties, including $7.1 million
in fines levied since October.
About two-thirds of 11 million illegal immigrants work
in this country, often using "made-up Social Security numbers or
the identity of a legal U.S. resident or citizen." Even some
of the most strident opponents of illegal immigration are critical
of the ICE audits, saying they don't result in deportations and
fired illegal workers often find other jobs. The U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, meanwhile, says audits shouldn't be fishing
expeditions, and should be based on firm facts that there is
illegal behavior.
You can find more information
here.
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