Obama puts employers in immigration crosshairs
May 26, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Hiring, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views, Law
The Department of Homeland Security recently announced details of its new strategy to fight illegal immigration — and part of the plan is to focus more energy on going after employers.
In a fact sheet released April 30, the new administration’s DHS announced: “Effective immediately, ICE [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement] will focus its resources … on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers.”
Of the 6,000 arrests made in 2008, only 135 were of employers — a ratio the DHS now feels is much too low.
Does this mean companies need to do anything differently? No — they should just continue rigorously following all hiring laws.
Nothing in the law is changing — just the way the law is enforced. According to the fact sheet, ICE use “all available civil and administrative tools, including fines and debarment, to penalize and deter illegal employment.”
Tags: Department of Homeland Security, DHS, ICE, immigration, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
May 26th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Finally. We’ve been arresting drug users all along when we should be going after the dealers.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Its about time. We have lots of laws on the books, but enforcement is woefully lax. Companies that knowingly employ illegals should be heavily fined and assessed the cost of deporting those illegals to their homeland.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:44 am
When will the government take responsibility for allowing them to come here in the first place?