Posts Tagged ‘I-9’
ALERT: ICE Worksite Audits On The Rise
On February 19, 2011, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of the Department of Homeland Security issued 1000 notices of inspection to employers across the U.S. These notices alert the businesses that ICE will be arriving to inspect hiring records. The inspections will determine if employers are violating the law by hiring undocumented workers.
No employer is immune from the possibility of an ICE inspection. The agency is not targeting a particular size, state or industry. Please don’t hesitate to contact our San Francisco Immigration Law Office if you have questions or concerns about ICE inspections.
Tags: employers, hiring, I-9, ICE audit, illegal aliens, inspection, undocumented workers
Posted in Alerts | Read More »
Anti-Fraud Enhancements Added to E-Verify
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded the E-Verify program to include U.S. passport photo matching, which allows employers participating in E-Verify to automatically check the validity and authenticity of all U.S. passports and passport cards presented for employment verification. The goal of this addition is to prevent and detect the use of fraudulent documents.
The E-Verify program allows employers and businesses to check the work authorization of their employees online for purposes of completing the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Vertification. Originally, the E-Verify system cross-checked background information in the DHS and Social Security databases. With the addition of passport photo matching, employers are now able to compare the data presented with Department of State records.
Enrollment in the E-Verify program is voluntary for most and mandatory for employers holding Federal contracts or Federal subcontracts.
Please don’t hesitate to contact our San Francisco Immigration Law Office if you have questions about the E-Verify program.
Tags: E-verify, employment eligibility, fraud, I-9, passport
Posted in Alerts, Employment Verification | Read More »
ICE Issues Notice of Audit to 1000 Businesses
In a reflection of the Obama Administration’s continued emphasis on employer compliance with immigration laws, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today issued audit notices to 1000 companies. According to ICE’s announcement, these employers were selected due to “investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security.” Names of these employers were not released due to “ongoing, law enforcement” concerns, according to ICE’s statement. ICE audits involve the thorough review of an employer’s I-9 forms for their workforce, and traditionally has often resulted in employer sanctions for both routine and more egregious I-9 violations. Sanctions typically range from $375 to $16,000 per violation, with repeat offenders receiving stiffer penalties.
We believe that now would be a good time for all employers to conduct an internal self-audit of all I-9’s, to make sure that the employer is fully in compliance with all rules and regulations. With increased ICE audits, Dept. of Labor audits, and random site visits by USCIS, it is critical that employers pro-actively address any issues with their workforce.
Tags: audit, audit notice, compliance, employer, I-9, immigration, USCIS random site visit
Posted in Employment Verification, Uncategorized | Read More »
I-9 Audits on The Rise, Fines to Increase
As part of its immigration enforcement strategy, the Obama Administration has announced that it would focus on employers who hire undocumented workers. In July, over 650 employers were told that they were being audited for potential immigration violations, and apparently many more will be audited in the weeks and months to come.
“You are going to see audits regularly and on a larger scale,” said John Morton, the new chief of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement to the Wall Street Journal. Apparently, civil fines could exceed $800 per employee. Yet this increased focus on employer compliance does nothing to address the fact that certain industries, namely, agriculture, construction, as well as others, depend heavily on immigrant labor.
In addition, despite the Obama Administration’s stated goal of going after ‘bad actor’ employers, the New York Times reported recently that immigration related prosecutions of undocumented immigrants (rather than the employers who hire them) were up significantly since Obama took office.
What we need in this country is not more enforcement, but sensible reform that addresses our economic need as a nation. We must legalize the status of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows who have a critical role to play in the U.S.’s economic recovery. President Obama and Janet Napolitano thus far have only paid lip service to the need for reform. What we need from them now is leadership and action.
Tags: audit, I-9, immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration enforcement, Obama
Posted in Employment Verification | Read More »
